TVC:Book 01:Discoveries
by VoyagersFan
Summary: Bogg and Jeff go back in time to complete the mission Bogg was on when his omni malfunctioned and he arrived outside of Jeff's bedroom. Revised 05/2009
1. A Day of Rest and Reflection

****

**_VOYAGERS! _- The Voyager Chronicles  
****DISCOVERIES - BOOK 1  
****(The First New Adventure)  
****By DA Daugherty (VoyagersFan)  
****October 2006 (Revised 05/2009)  
****Previous disclaimers apply**

**Chapter 1 – A DAY OF REST AND REFLECTION**

Paris, France -- May 6, 1889.

Today would mark the opening of one of the most prestigious events ever known to man. Within hours, the main gates to the Great Exposition of 1889 would be opened to welcome thousands of visitors from all corners of the globe. As those in attendance would gasp in awe at the sights and sounds of this event, the one thing that would hold all of them captive would be the wondrous work of Gustave Eiffel, looming over them. The Eiffel Tower, a part of the main entrance to the Exposition was crafted entirely of steel and iron. For its time, it was a magnificent piece of human engineering and the achievement of a lifetime for its creator.

Although it had taken several years and the efforts of hundreds, if not thousands of men to erect this monument, its construction was not without problems. In addition to the normal construction-related issues which Eiffel and his crew faced, there were some rather unorthodox outside influences which threatened the tower's eventual completion. Unbeknownst to those involved, the renegade Drake, much like a serpent had once again reared his ugly head. The unscrupulous Voyager in his continuing quest to foul up history had devised a convoluted plot to go back in time and circumvent the construction of the famous landmark. Upon discovering Eiffel's tower missing from the Paris skyline during a mission to the city in 1960, Bogg and Jeff went back to the time of the tower's construction to uncover Drake and foil his plot. The two spent almost a week assisting Eiffel in his efforts as they cleaned up the mess and set history back on track.

With their mission completed, the two, exhausted from all their efforts, decided to jump forward in time to be on hand for the opening of the Great Exposition and to observe the fruits of their labors. They arrived on the night before the grand opening and found a small hotel on the outskirts of the city where they ate a filling meal and then turned in for a good night's rest.

----------------

It was a beautiful, warm spring day in the City of Light. The mostly clear sky with its rich, blue glaze was highlighted with a few wispy clouds. The trees, dressed in their stunning spring fashions were softly swaying as a slight, yet intermittent breeze made its way past. Throughout the city, there was a flood of vibrant color as the spring flowers had now burst forth into bloom. Their sweet scent permeated the whole of the area and tickled the nostrils of those who ventured out to enjoy the warm sunshine.

The morning sun, currently hovering at the 10 o'clock position had begun to beam its light through the window of the room where Bogg and Jeff were sleeping. Bogg, snug in his bed and still sound asleep was undaunted by the bright light. However, the sun's bright beam having missed Bogg had landed squarely in the middle of Jeff's forehead. With this less than subtle wake-up call, Jeff sprung up, rubbed his eyes and yawned.

"Booooogggggg!" Jeff moaned with a rather sluggish voice.

He looked over and attempted to focus on his partner. As he squinted and continued to stare at him, Bogg did not respond. He paused a moment before trying once again to wake him.

"Bogg! Wake up! It's morning!"

The sleepy Bogg, still in his state of slumber, muttered some incomprehensible phrase before he turned over and threw the covers over his head.

Facing the realization that his somewhat subtle method of waking Bogg was not working, Jeff decided to take a more physical approach to his current problem. At this point, he got up and slowly made his way over to the side of Bogg's bed. He stood there for a moment as he summoned up the nerve to 'prod the sleeping tiger.' After a time, he cautiously reached out and put a hand on his partner's shoulder. With a mischievous grin on his face, he shook his partner quite aggressively.

"Bogg! Wake up, Bogg!"

"What the…!" Bogg yelled. "Earthquake?"

Jeff laughed as he continued to aggravate the sleeping Voyager.

"C'mon Rip Van Winkle, wake up!" He teased. "You can't stay in bed forever."

As he slowly turned over to face his partner, Bogg opened his eyes and looked up at him.

"What was all that shaking? Did we have an earthquake?"

Jeff put on a mischievous grin. "No earthquake. It's just me."

A look of aggravation suddenly came over Bogg's face.

"Kid, can't you see I'm trying to get some sleep here?" Bogg grumbled, as he was a wee bit perturbed for having his beauty sleep interrupted.

"Bogg, it's morning. Time to get up!"

Bogg stretched his arms and yawned.

"Ok. What time is it, kid?"

Jeff turned to glance at a little baroque style clock on the mantel behind him.

"It's nine-thirty." He said in a boisterous tone. "I'm so hungry. Can we go get something to eat?"

Bogg slowly pried himself up and leaned his back against the headboard. He was still half asleep and more than a little miffed by the tactics of his young alarm clock. After yawning and rubbing his eyes, he blurted out the first thing that came to mind in response to his partner's question.

"There's some beef jerky over there in my vest pocket. Why don't you eat that and let me go back to sleep?"

"What! You've got to be kiddin'! Jerky again!" Jeff exclaimed in disbelief. "Why can't we get some real food? You know…eggs, bacon and such. C'mon Bogg, please!"

"Lighten up kid, I was just teasing." Bogg said with a chuckle. "I'm getting tired of the jerky too."

Without hesitation, Bogg threw back the covers as he put his feet on the floor and scanned the area for his boots. "Give me a minute to find my boots on and we'll go get some breakfast. Ok?"

After spotting his boots sitting under the small table near the bed, he grabbed them and struggled a bit as he pulled them onto his feet. Upon standing, he smoothed back his hair and straightened his collar. Out of habit, he checked his belt for the omni. Much to his surprise it was missing. With a concerned look on his face, he turned to his partner.

"Where's the omni? You know I was so tired last night, I really don't remember where I put it. Did I give it to you?"

"No, you didn't give it to me." Jeff replied. "You have to admit though, you were pretty beat last night. Once we got to the room, you barely said two words to me before you took off your boots and crashed on the bed."

Bogg turned to grab his jerkin from a nearby chair and slipped it over one arm. As he struggled to get the other arm through, he leaned over and pulled back the bedcovers, hoping he would find the device on the bed. Much to his surprise, it wasn't there. He stood up and peered around the room, a look of bewilderment plastered on his face.

"Well, it's not here." Bogg said as he bit his lip.

By this time, Jeff had gone back over to his side of the room to begin his own search.

"It's not over here, either." Jeff replied as he turned to face his partner.

Suddenly, through the corner of his eye, Jeff noticed a small beam of sunlight reflecting from a table near the window. He craned his neck and focused closely on the area. Lo and behold, there it was. The omni, in all its polished beauty. He smiled for a moment and walked discreetly over to the table. With his partner still in a state of panic, frantically searching in the background, he quietly picked it up and turned to face him. Holding it a pose similar to that of the Statue of Liberty, he teased his partner once more.

"Looking for this?" Jeff said smugly.

Bogg stopped in his tracks and looked up at his partner. "Yea, where was it, kid?" He asked as he let out a sigh of relief.

"It was over here on the table." Jeff replied before walking over and handing the device to his partner.

"Hey, thanks."

Bogg clipped the omni to his belt and hesitated for a moment before removing his hand. With a concerned look on his face, he grabbed the omni once again.

"I think I'll check this again, you know, just to be safe."

Bogg flipped open the lid and peered inside.

"Well…Is it still green?" Jeff asked.

Bogg smiled and closed the lid. "Yes, it's still green." He said as he polished the omni on his vest and clipped it back to his belt.

You know kid. I'm surprised Drake gave up so easily, especially after the effort he put into trying to stop..." He paused in thought. "Uh…What was that guy's name again?"

"Eiffel... Gustave Eiffel." Jeff prompted.

"Oh yeah, Eiffel. After he tried to stop him from building that tower for the Exposition."

"You know Bogg. If Drake had succeeded, it would have been a great loss for the world. Just imagine the number of engineers and architects who came here and were inspired by Eiffel's genius. This one structure may be a modern feat of engineering today, but it has a huge influence on the future. In my time, it is one of the most famous landmarks on the planet."

"We put a stop his little bit of time meddling and he's gone for now." Bogg said boldly. "Unfortunately, we have not seen the last of him. He WILL be back, and especially when we least expect him. He's never going to forget what you and I did to him during the trial."

"And don't forget Susan and Garth." Jeff urged. "I'd say he's not real fond of them at the moment, either."

"Yea. You've got that right." Bogg agreed. "Our act of exposing his plot to take over Voyager Headquarters humiliated him and he will not rest until he's had his revenge on all of us."

Reaching over to his partner, Bogg put his hand on the kid's shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

"Kid, I don't mean to scare you, but we've got to stick close to each other and be ready for anything from this point forward."

"I know Bogg." Jeff acknowledged. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared. But as long as you are around, I feel safe."

"There's no need for you to be scared, kiddo. I'd never let any harm come to you. You can count on that! Now enough about Drake, let's go find some breakfast. And I promise, no beef jerky!"

"Aw right!" Jeff exclaimed.

-------------------------------

The two made their way downstairs to the dining room. The dining room, much like the other areas of the hotel was decorated with typical 19th century furnishings and accessories. As they entered the room, the two Voyagers were completely awestruck by what they saw.

The ceilings of the room were adorned with ornate plasterwork and rich, colorful frescos. There were beautiful paintings encased in gold-leaf frames strategically placed on the walls. Some of these works of art looked vaguely familiar, as if they were works of some of the renaissance masters. The tables were covered with crisp white tablecloths and set with the finest of silverware and china. A rich, walnut-brown carpet with gold accents woven within it covered the floor of the spacious area.

The two stopped for a moment to take in the grandeur of the room and then proceeded to seat themselves at a table near the entrance.

After a few moments, a buxom young lady hostess greeted them. She had beautiful brown hair which she had meticulously pinned up in a bun. Her uniform was white with accents of heavily starched lace trim on the collar and sleeves. She slowly and gracefully walked over to their table and stood close to Bogg.

"Bonjour, Monsieur." She said as she gazed at the handsome duo.

Bogg looked up and upon making eye contact with the hostess, began to smile sheepishly. His mouth dropped open and he began to drool at the sight of her extreme beauty.

"Hello there." Bogg replied with a dreamy, yet lustful tone.

"What can I get for the two of you?" She asked.

The infatuated Voyager continued to stare at the beautiful woman, his eyes glazed over and his mouth still open. He attempted to respond to her question, but could not make his lips obey his brain's requests.

"Uh..." Bogg paused. "Uh..."

Jeff looked at his love-struck partner, rolled his eyes and nudged him on the arm.

"Bogg!" Jeff whispered. "Earth to Bogg! Hey! Food! Remember!"

Startled by his partner, Bogg left his state of love-induced hypnosis and returned to reality. "Uh... Uh, sure kid. Food. Right! Ma'am, we're here for some breakfast."

The two told the hostess what they wanted and she walked away. After several moments of mind-numbing silence, Jeff chimed in.

"Do you always have to do that?" He asked snidely.

"Do what?"

"You know…go all googley-eyed at the sight of a pretty lady."

Bogg looked at his partner, fidgeted in his chair a bit and grinned.

"What do you mean kid? I do not, repeat, DO NOT go all googley-eyed every time I see a pretty lady!"

'You do too!" Jeff argued. "Every time one walks in front of you, you go to pieces. Remember at the trial when Susan walked in and sat down beside you. You just sat there staring at her with that silly grin on your face."

Bogg, in an attempt to maintain his reputation went on the defensive.

"Kid, c'mon, that's not fair! I told you she was the love of my life." He exclaimed in a whisper.

Jeff continued berating his partner.

"And then there's the time we met Cleopatra."

"Kid, I did not go to pieces over her."

"Are you sure about that?" Jeff asked. "You remember the time we were taking her to see Marc Antony? I recall you went all googley-eyed at the sight of her and the two of you started locking lips under a tree."

Jeff raised his hands in the air to emphasize his point.

"And we all know what happened next! She took your Omni and whisked you off to New York City, leaving me stranded alone with the bad guys."

Bogg knew his partner had him cornered. Jeff, in all of his glory was in fact speaking the truth about these events. However, he just couldn't bring himself to let this thirteen year-old win this argument, no matter how true his statements were. So, he continued to make excuses.

"Kid, now wait a minute! That wasn't entirely my fault!" Bogg exclaimed. "She distracted me and grabbed my omni without my knowledge."

"Yea, right." Jeff said skeptically.

With each passing moment, Bogg's aggravation with his partner was growing, exponentially. He began to feel as if he were being put on trial again. His voice grew louder as he continued to respond to Jeff's charges.

"Ok then, here's another example." Jeff said pointedly. "Look what happened moments ago when the waitress came to our table. You took one look at her and it was like she had put a spell on you. You couldn't even answer her when she asked what we wanted. Sometimes, it's just plain embarrassing."

Jeff had driven his point home with his last comment. Not one to lose his cool on a whim, Bogg was so ticked off at this juncture you could almost see steam coming out of his ears. He quickly turned away from his partner and stared off into the distance, attempting to stifle his emotions. Upon seeing this, Jeff realized he had pushed all but the last of Bogg's 'buttons'. Not wanting to press his luck and risk the possibility of being left at the nearest orphanage, he decided to cease his banter.

For a time Bogg sat there quiet as a mouse as he continued staring at a nearby painting on the wall. Jeff had made him mad before, but never quite like this. The emotions he had churning inside of him were that of anger, shame, hurt and disappointment. Jeff's onslaught of stinging accusations had managed to pierce his thick skin and cut him to the quick. As he replayed the scene over and over again in his mind, he suddenly began to realize just how correct Jeff had been in his observations. As if the previous slurry of emotions flowing inside of him wasn't enough, now there was one more to add to it, guilt. Now feeling a fair share of that emotion for being so angry at his partner, he knew he had to make up for it somehow. After regaining control of his emotions, he slowly turned to face his partner once again.

"Kid, I…" Bogg said, before pausing for a time to collect his thoughts. He put his hand on Jeff's shoulder and looked him square in the eye. "Kid, I'm sorry if I have ever embarrassed you. I'm your partner and your friend. I would never do anything intentionally to hurt you."

By this time, Jeff too had begun to feel some remorse for even bringing up what was obviously a touchy subject for his friend. His mood grew sullen and he dropped his head.

"Hey now. What's wrong?" Bogg asked in a soft tone.

Concerned by his partner's response, Bogg reached over and gently raised Jeff's chin with his hand. As their eyes met, he noticed tears welling up in his partner's eyes.

"You are not mad at me, are you Bogg?" Jeff asked sullenly.

"Come here." Bogg said softly as he put his arm around his partner and pulled him in close.

"Mad at you? For what, finding the courage to point out an obvious flaw…" He smiled as he raised his hand and pointed to himself with his thumb. "…in MY otherwise perfect character? Well, maybe it's not so perfect after all. No, I'm not mad at you, more like mad at myself."

At this point, the guilty Voyager began to offer up a confession for his crimes.

"As much as I hate to admit it, I was getting out of line. And on top of that, you had the courage to bring it to my attention. Kid, did you ever bring it to my attention too. I felt as if I was on trial, being grilled by a thirteen year-old lawyer."

Bogg smiled at his partner again before releasing his hug.

"I am proud of you. It's a hard thing to do sometimes, you know, to point out someone's flaws. Especially when it involves a close friend. It's a sign that you growing up and in this case it seems much quicker than I imagined."

Jeff dried his eyes on his sleeve and began to smile once again as Bogg continued his little father and son-like chat with him.

"I always want us to be open and honest with one another. If I ever get out of line again, I want you to come and tell me just as you did today. I hope you will allow me to do the same, if and when the tables are turned."

Jeff nodded as his partner continued.

"I know you don't fully understand the chemistry between men and women at this time in your life, but give it a few more years and you will understand completely. Hey, you may even go googley-eyed yourself someday. No, let me rephrase that. YOU WILL go googley-eyed yourself someday."

Jeff began to laugh. "Now that's the kid I know." Bogg said warmly. "In the meantime, I will try to limit the number of times I go "googley-eyed"

"I love you, Bogg." Jeff leaned over and put such a bear hug on his partner that he could not breathe.

"I love you…too…kid." Bogg replied as he coughed and gasped for air. Jeff released his hold on him and sat back in his chair.

Without warning, the hostess arrived with their meal. She lifted the covered plates from the serving cart and placed them on the table in front of them.

"Thank you, ma'am." Bogg said in a loving tone as he looked up at the hostess.

"Can I get anything else for the two of you?" She asked as she winked at him.

"No ma'am, but thank you." Bogg replied, while still in a state of delirium.

The hostess smiled graciously, turned and pushed the cart away.

Once again seeing the overwhelming infatuation in Bogg's eyes, Jeff punched him playfully on the arm.

"Ouch!" Bogg exclaimed. Jeff laughed and started to eat.

After a few minutes of silence, Jeff put down his fork and glanced at his partner.

"So, where do we go from here?" He asked.

"What do you mean?"

"You know…our next mission. Where are we going?"

"Oh, I don't know. The omni is no longer in automatic mode, so why don't you choose a place? You're an official Voyager now. Isn't there some place in history you have always wanted to visit?" Bogg asked as he took another bite of his food.

"Well. Hmm..." Jeff paused in thought. "I know. Let's go back to the point when Columbus discovered the Americas. I would love to be there when he makes it ashore."

"Columbus? " Bogg said curiously, his mouth half full of food.

"Duh!" Jeff exclaimed. "And I guess you had your eyes on Susan during that part of your Voyager training also. You know! Columbus! C'mon, don't you remember…the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria. In fourteen hundred ninety-two Columbus sailed the ocean blue and all that jazz. And we can't forget King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain who funded the voyage.

Bogg had an epiphany. "Oh yea, Columbus! I remember now. He was the guy I was on my way to see when my omni malfunctioned. You remember, when I landed on the ledge outside your room."

"Oh yea, and what a landing it was too!" Jeff said. "There's nothing like being in your room and then out of nowhere a pirate comes crashing through your bedroom window."

"Kid, I was dazed and confused." Bogg explained.

"Confused… I'd say." Jeff teased. "Not half as confused as I was when you barked out. 'When did they start building them this high, kid.' and 'Who are you and where's Columbus?' That was not the best of introductions."

"If it had not been for that voyage…" Bogg smiled, turned and tickled Jeff in the ribs. "I wouldn't have to deal with a smart kid that gives me a pain all the time."

Jeff chuckled and squirmed. "Quit it Bogg!"

"Ok, enough of the teasing." Bogg urged. "Let's finish eating so we can be off."

"Great!"

After about 30 minutes of talking and eating the two Voyagers sat back in their chairs and relaxed a bit.

"Oooh! I think I ate too much." Jeff moaned. "What about you?"

"Same here, kid!" Bogg rubbed his stomach and then stretched his arms above his head. "I haven't had a breakfast like that in years."

"I'd say..." Jeff agreed. "It's about time you had some real food instead of that jerky you're always eating."

"Ha, Ha! Very funny." Bogg quipped. "On that note… Isn't it time we get going? That is, if you are finished making witty remarks about your partner?" Bogg asked as he lowered his arms to his side.

"I'm ready when you are."

Bogg retrieved the omni from his belt and tossed it to his partner. "Here, it's all yours."

A puzzled look came across Jeff's face. "Why are you giving ME the omni?" He asked.

"I think it's time for you take the reins. Besides, you need the practice. You might as well get used to using the thing, because in the future you most certainly will have one of your own."

"Are you sure about this?" Jeff asked somewhat perplexed by his partner's gesture.

"Yes, I'm sure. Just don't let it go to your head." Bogg teased. "Now, let's see what ol' Columbus is up to."

"What date kid? Oh, sorry, that's your line." Bogg said jokingly.

"Well, he landed in the new world on October 12, 1492. I believe it was sometime before noon." Jeff acknowledged. He set the omni and looked at his partner.

"Ready?" He asked.

Bogg put his hand on Jeff's arm. "Let's do it! " Bogg acknowledged.

Jeff pressed the button and the two vanished.


	2. A Journey Cut Short

_**VOYAGERS! **_**- The Voyager Chronicles  
****DISCOVERIES - BOOK 1  
****(The First New Adventure)  
****By DA Daugherty (VoyagersFan)  
****October 2006 (Revised 05/2009)  
****Previous disclaimers apply**

**Chapter 2 - A JOURNEY CUT SHORT**

On the eastern coast of what would eventually be called "The Americas" and what later became known as San Salvador in the Bahaman Islands, Bogg and Jeff fell through the time portal and landed on the beach. They arrived at the exact location where Columbus was to come ashore after making his famous journey.

With some effort, Bogg stood up and rubbed his aching backside.

"Ooow! Oh! These landings sure aren't getting any easier. Voyager Technical needs to do something about this before I lose a limb or something." He mumbled to himself.

Only a moment had passed before Bogg noticed his young partner lying flat on his face in the sand behind him. Quickly he ran over and kneeled at his side.

"Kid, are you ok?"

"Yea." Jeff responded as he pried his body from the sand. There was a short pause before he started to cough and spit the sand from his mouth.

"Yea. I'm ok. No broken bones…just a mouth full of sand."

Bogg laughed and began teasing his partner.

"We just ate, kid. I can't believe you are still hungry! What's next on the menu? A palm tree, perhaps?"

Jeff wiped the remaining sand from his lips before responding.

"Ha, Ha... You're a barrel of laughs!. Everyone just loves a comedian, especially one dressed in pirate clothes."

Bogg continued with his relentless teasing as he got to his feet and helped pry Jeff out of the sand.

"Next time, remember to land on your back and not your stomach. It's also important to land with your mouth closed."

"Like I really have a choice with the omni." Jeff protested as he polished the omni on his red-striped shirt and handed it back to Bogg. "Here. You can have this back now."

Bogg smiled as took the device from him and opened it.

"October 12, 1492, San Salvador. Good job, kid! Looks like we are in the right place." Bogg confirmed as he peered curiously at the sky. "By the angle of the sun, I'd say it's around 10:00 in the morning. But, wait a minute, we have a red light!"

"Red Light? What's wrong?" Jeff asked curiously.

"That's just what I was about to ask you." Bogg said as he closed the Omni and clipped it to his belt. "You're the walking history book…Any ideas? I thought you said he was supposed to come ashore here?"

"Yea. This is where he was supposed to land." Jeff acknowledged as he gazed out at the ocean.

"Hmmm…well obviously something isn't quite right here. Maybe we should take cover behind those bushes over there and wait him out. The last thing we want to do is have Columbus see us here if and when he arrives."

"Right." Jeff agreed as he took off toward the bushes.

Almost half way to his destination, Jeff stopped when he realized his partner was not with him. As he looked back, he noticed Bogg was still standing behind him with a perplexed look on his face.

"Hey! What are you waiting for? C'mon!"

"Sure kid." Bogg yelled. "Young kids and old omnis give me such a pain."

Once Bogg had caught up with his partner, the two made their way over to the area. Luckily for the two, they spotted a small clearing conveniently located behind the bushes. Realizing this was the perfect spot from which to inconspicuously observe the shoreline, the two sat down in the clearing and waited.

--------------------------

A couple of hours passed. By now, the two had now grown tired and become restless in their wait for Columbus. With no sign of his ships on the horizon, the two stretched out onto the soft, white sand. Bogg closed his eyes for a moment while basking in the soothing warmness of the sun's rays. Jeff tried his best to relax, but the angst of not knowing the status of Columbus's journey kept him from doing so. He fidgeted for a time as he watched the clouds passing overhead.

"Bogg?"

"Yea, kid."

"Uh… You know… Uh…"

Jeff began to stumble on his words as if he were having trouble gathering his thoughts.

"Uh…"

Bogg opened his eyes and looked over at his partner.

"Go ahead kid, spit it out!" He sensed Jeff had something he wanted to ask, but couldn't bring himself to do so.

"You know, Bogg, you have always told me that you were a pirate before you became a voyager." Jeff said boldly.

Bogg smiled a bit and was somewhat blasé with his response.

"Yea, I was a pirate alright."

"Why is it you never talk about that part of your life?" Jeff asked pointedly.

"Well, kid…I"

Bogg paused for a moment, cleared his throat and started to look off into the distance. Jeff's question had caught him completely by surprise. He now found himself as uncomfortable attempting to respond to the question as Jeff was trying to pose it.

"It's not a part of my life I enjoy talking about." Bogg said curtly. He sat there for a moment pondering his last statement and again looked to his partner.

"I'm sorry, kid. I didn't mean to be rude."

"That's ok…" Jeff responded. "It's ok if you don't want to talk about it."

"No, it's not that… I don't mind talking about it. I just…I."

"What was it like, Bogg?" Jeff asked with a sense of overwhelming curiosity in his tone. "You know, sailing around the world on all those ships, the sword fights, those big chests filled with all that treasure and walking around with a parrot on your shoulder."

Bogg began to laugh uncontrollably.

"Kid…I."

Bogg coughed and gasped for air as he tried his best to regain his composure.

"I'd say you have definitely been watching too many pirate movies." Bogg replied as he nodded his head in disbelief.

"First of all, let me set the record straight here and now! Pirates DO NOT walk around with parrots on their shoulders and I assure you, no parrot ever sat on mine."

Jeff laughed as his partner paused to gather his thoughts.

Several moments passed. As Bogg sat there silently recollecting memories from his days as a pirate, a thought came to the forefront of his mind. Up until now, no one had ever taken an interest in his prior life as a pirate or even his life in general for that matter. Jeff's curiosity about his pirating days had now reopened a chapter in his life which he had closed many years ago. It was this simple act of asking him about this time that caused Bogg to experience a sort of warm feeling inside, a feeling that someone actually cared about him as a person. It was this feeling that now compelled him to share his story.

By this time Jeff had become concerned since his partner hadn't said a word for quite a time now. He looked over and nudged him on the arm.

"Bogg, are you ok?"

Startled by his partner's question, Bogg jerked suddenly and replied.

"Oh, sorry about that…I'm ok…I just got caught up in a passing thought. Now, where was I. Uh…let's see…life as a pirate."

With this, Bogg began to tell the story of his days as a pirate.

"Ok, first of all, the life of a pirate is not as glamorous or exciting as is shown in the movies. You spend most of your time aboard ship sailing from one conquest to another."

Jeff sat up and faced his partner as he continued with his story.

"The living conditions are not all that great either and are as close to roughing it as you can get. You remember the breakfast we had this morning?"

"Yea Bogg! It was great." Jeff replied.

"Well, we never had such fare on the ship. Most of the time, we had something that looked like porridge, occasionally some jerky, salted meat or fish. The beverage of choice was either ale or rum. Usually the rum was reserved for the captain's indulgences. "

"Porridge? Yuck!" Jeff exclaimed.

"And remember those comfortable beds we slept in last night? Well, you won't find mattresses or pillows on pirate ships. If you were lucky, you slept on a hard wooden bunk or in a rope hammock. Sometimes those luxuries weren't available and you no other choice but to make your bed on the hard deck floor."

"Wow Bogg! It sounds like you had to be really tough to be a pirate."

"You said it kid!"

"While aboard ship, you live and work with a bunch of men the likes of which include thieves, killers, scoundrels and ex-convicts. Within hours of coming aboard you soon realize that treachery, disloyalty and betrayal run rampant in this environment. These men will stop at nothing, including selling their own mother to get treasure, money or other loot. I also found out the hard way that you have to watch your back, otherwise you could end up with a knife in it or something even worse."

Jeff chuckled. "What could be worse than having a knife in your back?"

"Plenty, kid, now let me continue."

"As for the sword fights, well, they are not as dramatic as they are portrayed in the movies. However, the outcome is the same. Someone lives and someone dies. But sword fights were not the only method of resolving differences onboard ship. There were many fistfights as well. If you couldn't settle your differences with either of these methods…well, you could just throw the person overboard.

"How many fights were you in?" Jeff asked, now impressed by his partner's bravery.

"Well…way too many to count. "

"Did you ever kill anyone?"

"No. I've hurt quite a few, but I've never killed anyone. Killing is wrong. It's a waste and it doesn't really solve anything."

"On a pirate ship, there is a pecking order. The captain and first mate are at the top of this order. They decide which ships and locations to plunder. They also control all the loot that is taken. The crew of the ship, those men like myself, must work for their part of the loot. When you are not sleeping, you are expected to work. The hours are long and the work is extremely hard. From sunrise to sunset, you are either hoisting or taking down sails, swabbing the deck, rowing, or doing any number of other tasks."

"There is also a set of rules that one must abide by on these ships. A sort of unwritten code so to speak. The captain expects you to follow his orders and show complete loyalty to him, and anything short of that could bring any number of retributions upon you. I was a pirate for several years on one ship, and witnessed many forms of punishment for disobedience. I have seen many men tied to the mast and whipped within an inch of their lives for a small infraction of these rules. I've seen men's hands cut off for stealing and if you dare mutiny against the captain, you faced the ultimate punishment, the plank."

"So, what caused you quit being a pirate and to become a Voyager?" Jeff asked as he drew circles in the soft sand.

"That's a good question. Really, I never was a good pirate to begin with. Most good pirates have no conscience or very small ones at best. They don't see the end effect of the destruction and looting or even care for that matter. The ships destroyed; lives lost; the widows and orphans left behind. All of this…for what? A little bit of gold here, a few jewels there and a life of brutally hard work and drunkenness. That life was not for me. I felt it was a miserable way to live and after a while I came to the conclusion I wanted out."

Bogg paused again and then continued.

"I guess it all started some five or so years ago. It was at that point, my life began to change."

"What do you mean?" Jeff asked.

"You see, I met up with another pirate on the ship who was around my age. He had been a pirate for years and seemed to be in the same predicament as I was. Like me, he too was tired of the pirate's life and wanted out. After a time, I came to know and trust this guy very well and this led to us becoming very good friends. It seemed odd at first, especially for me, that is, if you can imagine such a relationship ever developing on a pirate ship. But it happened and I was grateful to have someone I could talk to and really trust. He would watch my back and I would watch his in return. If one of us was in trouble, the other would come running to assist."

One day, we were on the way to our next conquest when our ship ran into a terrible storm at sea. It was raining buckets and the winds were blowing fiercely. The sea was so violent that the waves were crashing across the deck. I, along with my friend and several of my shipmates were on deck and up top trying to keep us a float, when all of a sudden, a large wave came crashing down on top of us. In the chaos that ensued, I was hit in the head by some flying debris. Dazed and almost unconscious, the last thing I remember was my friend trying to hold on to me as yet another wave coming crashing down on the two of us. Unfortunately the wave was too strong and we both ended up going over the edge."

"The next thing I remember was waking up at Voyager Medical. At that time, I was greeted by a guy, whose likeness seemed vaguely familiar to me. He came to my bedside, told me I had a concussion and explained what had happened. The more I spoke with this guy, the more apparent it became that I had seen him somewhere before. I just couldn't put my finger on where I had seen him. And due to my injuries, my brain just wasn't cooperating at this point."

"Bogg, who was he? Did you ever figure it out?" Jeff asked.

"Yes, and what he said next I found almost unbelievable."

"Bogg, don't keep me in suspense." Jeff pleaded.

"As he continued his explanation, he revealed he was the guy I had befriended on the ship, only he was disguised as a pirate. His disguise was necessary for him to get close to me and to fulfill his mission without raising the crew's suspicions.

"His mission?" Jeff asked curiously. "What WAS his mission?"

"Long before I had arrived, the powers that be at Voyager Headquarters had taken an interest in me as a potential voyager candidate. They sent this guy, my preceptor on assignment aboard my ship to observe me and to prepare the way for me to become a voyager."

"He informed me that I had been recruited to become a part of a special organization known as Voyagers. They were a special group of people whose sole purpose was to travel through space and time and fix problems with history. Then he explained how potential voyager candidates are recruited. For a person to become a candidate, he must be taken from his timeline at a point where any future action or event involving the person would have no effect on history. Sometimes it is just before the person's death.

"Why do they have to recruit you just before your death?" Jeff asked with some concern. " I don't understand Bogg. I'm a Voyager, does that mean I was about to die when you came into my bedroom?"

"Whoa now, let's not jump to conclusions." Bogg teased. "No. Your situation was very unique. Unlike most candidates, your becoming a voyager was actually a part of your timeline."

Jeff looked up at this partner. "I still don't understand, Bogg."

Bogg smiled warmly and nodded.

"Ok, let me try to explain. According to the Voyager Code, when a candidate is recruited to become a Voyager, he must be taken out of his own timeline.

To do this correctly requires some forethought and planning on behalf of the preceptor. You know, you can't just pluck the person out of time at any old point in their timeline. Doing so would inevitably change history. The preceptor has to follow the timeline of their new recruit, looking for a point where his actions cease to have any direct effect on future events. At that moment, the new recruit is taken out of time and brought to VHQ for training. Sometimes it takes months, even years for the right moment to present itself."

"This is complicated stuff." Jeff acknowledged.

"Yea, Jeff. Time is a complicated thing. You will learn more about it once you enroll at Voyager Academy. But for now, don't worry about the details."

"Let's see, where was I. Oh yea. My preceptor told me he had to wait for the right moment to take me out of my timeline and that moment came when the two of us were washed overboard. At that point, my life in that timeline was over."

"Next, he asked me if I was ready to participate in the adventure of a lifetime. Of course I was ready. I was willing to do anything, anything besides being a pirate."

"What happened next, Bogg?"

"Well, for several days, I remained in the medical unit recovering from my ordeal. After that, I enrolled at Voyager Academy where I trained to become a Voyager. That's where I met Susan, the love of my life. After several years and much hard work, I finally graduated. With my omni and guidebook in hand, I proceeded to take on the challenges of setting right history's wrongs. About a year or so later, my omni malfunctioned and that's when I landed in your bedroom. The End."

"So now you know the story of Phineas Bogg, the ex-pirate turned Voyager."

"What a story, Bogg!" Jeff exclaimed.

After several more hours of waiting and watching for the arrival of Columbus, it was now mid-afternoon. The two voyagers had now grown quite concerned about the explorer and about this mission. Suddenly, in the background, the sound of drums could be heard.

"Shhhh! Listen!" Bogg paused and then asked in a whisper, "What's that?"

"Drums." Jeff replied. "There must be natives close by."

"Kid, were you sure about that date?" Bogg whispered. "He was actually supposed to land here today. Right?"

"Yea, this is the correct date and place."

At that moment, the beating of the drums became louder. Jeff eyes grew wide as he clutched his partner's arm.

"Bogg, I'm scared." Jeff said nervously.

Bogg made a half-hearted attempt at a smile as he looked at Jeff.

"These natives you spoke of, I hope they are friendly." He asked.

"I don't know Bogg." Jeff said as his fear had now caused him to stumble on his words. "There were several different tribes that inhabited in this area; some were friendly and some not so friendly."

"Ok, what's the worst that could happen to us?"

Jeff tightened his grip on Bogg's arm. "We could be treated really well or we could have our heads scalped."

"Oh…" Bogg replied as the smile had now been washed off his face. "I don't like the sound of that last bit."

"Neither do I" Jeff said with a tone of uncertainty.

Jeff slid over closer to his partner. Bogg put his arm around him and reassured the young voyager. "Hey! We have been in scarier situations than this. It's gonna be o-k."

"It's obvious that Columbus did not make it here." Jeff whispered. "Something went terribly wrong to cause him to not to complete his journey. We have to go back and find out what happened."

"So can we go now Bogg? We can't do anything more here, and I don't like the sound of those drums coming from behind us."

Bogg retrieved the omni from his belt and opened it. "Where to?" He asked.

"Wait a minute, uh… We need to get there around the time he approached the King and Queen for support. Let's see…it was after the Moors were defeated. Umm… I remember now…Grenada, in January of 1492. No! Wait! According to history the agreement with Isabella to fund the voyage was not signed until the 14th of April. We need to get there before the 14th."

"So in other words, we need to arrive say…around the first of April?" Bogg whispered.

"Yea. That will give us time to find Columbus and hopefully fix the problem."

Bogg dialed up the correct date and location on the omni. In the next instant, the two were startled by the sounds of footsteps, snapping twigs and rustling grass coming from behind them.

"Bogg!!!" Jeff yelled in a whisper. "Let's get outta here!"

All of a sudden, a tall dark figure emerged from the brush and stood several paces to the right of them. A native of the area, he was dressed only in a loincloth and had painted markings on his face and chest. He held a large pointed spear in one hand and a shield in the other. He paused for a moment unaware that he was not alone.

Jeff pointed to the native. "Booooogggggg! Look!" He exclaimed in a somewhat shaky and whispered tone. The native, hearing Jeff's whisper, immediately turned and saw the two voyagers sitting in the sand. He began to speak to them in some foreign tongue and then proceeded to approach them.

Jeff grabbed Bogg's arm. "Hit it! Hit the button Bogg!" He shouted.

Bogg pressed the button on the omni and they vanished.


	3. The Search For Chris

****

**_VOYAGERS!_ - The Voyager Chronicles  
****DISCOVERIES - BOOK 1  
****(The First New Adventure)  
****By DA Daugherty (VoyagersFan)  
****October 2006 (Revised 05/2009)  
****Previous disclaimers apply**

**Chapter 3 - THE SEARCH FOR CHRIS**

The two Voyagers narrowly escaped the terror of their last encounter. In the wink of an eye, they arrived in the city of Grenada and landed in a pile of hay in an alley near the city's marketplace. Not too far in the distance stood the Alhambra Palace, where the Royal Court of Ferdinand and Isabella now resided. Unbeknownst to them at this time, the person they were seeking was several blocks away at his home.

Bogg opened the omni. "Grenada, April 1st, 1492 and a red light. Well, it looks like we're in the right place."

Jeff, still visibly shaken from their encounter with the native, looked to his partner with a great sense of relief.

"Bogg, I'm just glad we were able to escape before that native got a chance to add to his scalp collection. That was a little too close for my comfort." Jeff playfully punched his partner on the shoulder.

"Ouch! What was that for?" Bogg exclaimed as he rubbed his arm briskly.

"So what took you so long to push that button anyway?" Jeff exclaimed. "Did you have a death wish or something?"

Bogg chuckled a bit. "No, I was just trying to get a feel for how scared you can get."

Jeff was a bit miffed by his partner's last comment. In retaliation, he once again played on Bogg's emotions by putting on another performance of his role as the injured kid. At this point, he stood up, brushed the dust from his clothes and stormed off leaving Bogg still sitting in the hay.

Bogg stood up and yelled to his partner, "Hey Jeff!…Wait! Come back here! I'm just teasing." Of course, Jeff ignored him and kept on going.

"Smart kids give me a pain." Bogg mumbled as he ran to catch up with him. Once he finally reached his partner, Jeff turned around, pointed to Bogg and yelled "Gotcha!"

Bogg put his hands on his hips and he gave him a stern look in response to his little performance.

"Kid, we don't have time to fool around." He admonished. "Remember, we've got to find Columbus."

"Yea, but where do we look? He could be anywhere and this is a pretty big country."

"We're not going to get anywhere standing around here all day." Bogg quipped. "C'mon, let's see if we can find someone who knows where he lives."

The two Voyagers strolled out onto the busy marketplace street and began to survey the area. The street was full of people buying and selling food, trinkets and other wares.

"As I remember the stories that were told about him, he lived in an upstairs apartment near a marketplace." Jeff said wryly.

"Well this looks like a marketplace." Bogg acknowledged as he continued to survey the area. "Maybe someone here will know. What about that guy over there? Let's ask him."

Casually, the two strolled over to a booth where a tall man stood behind a display of various fruits and vegetables. He had a slightly wrinkled face and wisps of long gray hair on his head. Without hesitation, Bogg and Jeff approached him.

"Excuse me sir." Bogg said politely.

"We are looking for a man by the name of Columbus. We were told that he lived in this area, but we are not sure exactly where."

"So you are looking for the crazy explorer, huh?" The man replied as he rotated several tomatoes on his display. "You know, these will get too ripe if you don't turn them."

Jeff shook his head. "What do you mean by crazy?"

The man, intrigued by their curiosity, motioned for the two of them to come back behind the display and sit down. They both complied with the man's wishes.

Once the two were seated, he began to explain himself to them.

"Columbus is known by all here and is called 'the crazy explorer' because of his theories. His latest one is that the world is round. Most ordinary citizens and sailors believe that the world is flat and if you sail too far out into the oceans you will fall off the edge."

Jeff interrupted with laughter, which he tried to suppress. Bogg looked at him with a lowered brow and then turned his attention back to the man.

"Please excuse him sir and do continue with your story."

"The crazy explorer believes the world is round. He thinks if you sail a ship far out to sea that eventually you will make a complete circle and find yourself back at your starting point. He also believes that there are other lands which have not yet been discovered on the other side of the oceans."

"What do you believe?" Bogg asked.

"Well, he is a smart fellow and like most scholars who believe in a round world, he has done much research into this subject. You know, there could be some substance to his theories. Think about it. If the world was really flat, eventually all the water of the oceans would be gone. They would just run off the edge and be gone forever. This is my theory. However, theories are just that until someone like Columbus sails a ship into those uncharted areas and proves them to be true. For me, I am much too old to go on such a voyage and so must be content to live out the remainder of my life here, selling my fruits and vegetables. "

"Can you tell us where we can find him?" Jeff asked.

"Columbus spends most of his days either studying his maps in his room or trying to find someone to fund his exploration."

The old man pointed down the street to an old two-story stucco building with a clay-tiled roof.

"You see that building down there, that's where you will find him. He lives in a room on the upper floor."

Bogg and Jeff rose from their seats. They thanked the old man for his information and set off walking down the street. After walking a couple of blocks, they came to the front door of the stucco building where Columbus was reported to live. Bogg knocked on the door and after a few moments, a small, frail woman opened the door a bit and peered outside.

"May I help you?" She asked with a weak voice.

"Yes. My friend and I are looking for Mr. Columbus." Bogg replied. "Does he live here?"

"Are you acquainted with Mr. Columbus?"

"Yes, you could say that."

"He is here." She said as she struggled to open the heavy wooden door. "Please come in."

Bogg and Jeff obliged the woman and stepped through the door. Once inside, they found themselves standing in a spacious hallway with a grand staircase leading to the upper floor of the building. The area was dimly lit and on its walls were portraits and paintings reminiscent of those found in museums such as the Louvre.

With all her strength, the woman closed the massive wooden door and latched it. She then hobbled over and stood in front of her guests.

"You will find Mr. Columbus in the first room on the right at the top of the stairs. If you need anything else, I will be in my room just over there."

"Thank you, ma'am." Bogg replied. The two stood there for a moment and watched as the woman slowly made her way across the hallway to her room.

"C'mon kid." Bogg urged.

The two walked over and began to climb the grand staircase to the upper floor. Upon reaching the landing, it was only a few more steps until they found themselves at the door of Columbus's room.

"Well…this must be it." Bogg whispered. He knocked on the door and a voice from within beckoned unto them.

"Come! It's open."

Bogg quietly opened the door and the two stepped inside. After closing the door behind them, the two Voyagers stood silently in the midst of the great explorer and observed their surroundings.

Columbus' room was very dimly lit and scarcely furnished. Unlike most homes of the time, it looked more like an office than an apartment. On one wall, there were shelves filled with hundreds of dusty, cobweb covered leather bound books. A fireplace and two chairs stood on the opposite side of the room. In the middle of the room there was a table with several old parchment maps strewn across it, along with a lit candlestick and some writing tools. On the far wall was a bed and next to it a desk where Columbus now sat, his eyes intensely fixated on a map.

After a few moments, Bogg walked over and stood in front of Columbus' desk.

"Mr. Columbus, I presume."

Columbus looked up from his map. "Yes! And who might you be sir?"

"The name's Phineas Bogg and this is Jeffrey Jones."

"What can I do for you today Mr. Bogg?" He asked.

Bogg, using his incredible ability for thinking on his feet, replied. "Well, my partner and I have heard of your theories concerning the possibility of undiscovered lands on the other side of the ocean. We want to join you in your quest to prove them."

"I see…and what do you hope to gain from helping me prove my theories?"

"Well sir, when it comes right down to it, nothing." Bogg replied. "We are not here to gain wealth from this venture or to take credit away from you. We are explorers much like yourself and wanted to offer our assistance to help you to prove those theories.

"At this moment, sir, they are just that! Theories! Without ships and funding from the Royal Court, I have no way to prove their validity." Columbus quipped.

Jeff walked up to the edge of the desk and peered curiously at the maps strewn across it.

"I take it you have already petitioned the King for support?" Jeff asked pointedly.

"Yes. Even after I provided him with documents proclaiming what riches and benefits could possibly be reaped from the journey. He scoffed at it! He said it was a terrible waste of ships and money especially during this time of war with the Moors. Then he dismissed me from his presence."

"What about speaking to the Queen?" Bogg asked. "Maybe she could persuade him to fund it if she was convinced the journey would be fruitful."

Columbus put down his compass for a moment, rubbed his eyes and looked up at the Voyager.

"No. I had thought about approaching the Queen, but I was so disappointed after the first attempt, I decided against it. I felt it was hopeless."

Jeff tapped his partner on the arm. "Bogg!" Jeff whispered. "That's it!"

Bogg turned to face his partner. "What?"

Jeff continued in a whispered tone, "That's why he never made it to the new world in October 1492. He has not gotten any backing. He was not supposed to convince King Ferdinand that he needed the ships and money to make the voyage. His backing came from Queen Isabella. He has to meet with her! Bogg, she is the key!"

"Well kid, we'll just have to do something about that." Bogg whispered boldly.

Bogg turned his attention back to Columbus. "Mr. Columbus, Jeff and I have an idea as to how you can get your backing to make this voyage. That is, if you will allow us to assist you."

"Yes, I would welcome your assistance and please do call me Christopher. Addressing me as Mr. Columbus makes me feel old and I am not that old yet.

"Do you mind if we call you Chris?" Bogg asked.

"No, that will be ok. So now, where should do we begin?"

The two Voyagers looked at each other for a moment, before Bogg finally spoke up.

"If I understood you correctly, you said that you had petitioned King Ferdinand for the money and he said 'it was a waste of money and ships during a time of war'. Correct?"

"Yes! That's what he said." Columbus affirmed. "And I heard every single word of it most clearly."

"Ok, and am I correct to say that the war with the Moors is over?"

"Yes, the war ended several months ago, with the conquest of Grenada. What are you trying to say Mr. Bogg?"

Bogg began to slowly pace around the room, his head down and a finger in the air, obviously in a state of deep thought.

"What I'm saying is this…The money and ships would not have been available during the war, but now that the war is over…"

Jeff interrupted. "There would be lots of ships and money available for other uses."

Bogg whirled about, snapped his finger and pointed to his partner. "Yes! Couldn't have said it better myself, kid. Now we are getting somewhere."

"Ok, so you struck out with Ferdinand during the war." Bogg said with a hint of excitement in his voice. "Now you have a second chance with Isabella and there is no war on now."

Columbus stoked his chin and cast his eye on the two. "You and your young companion's words are strange, Mr. Bogg, but I believe I understand your meaning."

"Sir, you are a member of the Royal Court, right?" Jeff asked.

"Yes, I have been in the Royal Court for several years now."

"So you should know who has the Queen's ear so to speak?"

After Jeff's latest question, the great explorer had a rather perplexed look on his face.

"Who has the Queen's ear?" Columbus asked innocently. "She still had both of her ears the last time I saw her. I don't quite follow you lad."

Bogg spoke up. "I think, sir, what he means is there is always one person in the Royal Court whom the Queen is more receptive to. Who besides the King does she listen to and accept advice from?"

"Well, in matters such as these, there is only one person that I know of in the Royal Court who could persuade the Queen, his name is Luis and he is the Royal Treasurer."

"Ok, Chris. Everything now points in your favor." Bogg acknowledged. "As I see it, the first thing we need to do is to seek an audience with Luis the Treasurer and convince him of this golden opportunity. Once he is convinced, he can put a word in the Queen's ear and then we can seek an audience with her. For now, though, prepare your papers and documents, the ones you presented to King Ferdinand. We will attempt a meeting with Luis the Treasurer tomorrow."

"Thank you Mr. Bogg and Mr. Jones. Thank you both." Columbus replied with an extreme sense of gratitude. "You must have been sent directly from heaven on the wings of angels to help me solve this problem."

Bogg looked at Jeff and smiled a bit. "On the wings of angels, I really don't think so. More like on the back of an…"

"Bogg!" Jeff quickly interrupted. He knew all too well his partner was about to give quite a colorful description of the beast.

Bogg turned and whispered to his partner as he rubbed his aching backside. "What? I'm still in pain from the last landing." Jeff shrugged his shoulders as his partner turned his attention back to Columbus.

"Chris…We have some preliminary work to do to prepare for tomorrow's meeting. If it's ok with you, we will leave now and return in the morning."

"Please, by all means. Go and get yourselves some food and some rest." Columbus replied. "I will see you in the morning. Good afternoon to you both."

"Good afternoon Chris!"

The two Voyagers slowly turned and left the room. Upon exiting the building, they began to plan their strategy.

"Kid, I'd say the first thing we need to do is to find some suitable clothing. What do you think?." Bogg asked.

"Yea! And we need some food and a place to sleep as well."

Bogg stopped in his tracks and looked at his partner.

"What? Hungry again?" He exclaimed in disbelief. "It hasn't been that long since we ate."

Jeff smiled and teased his partner. "Hey, I'm still growing you know! These are my formative years and growing boys tend to eat quite a bit during this time."

Bogg nodded and smiled at his partner. "Yea, at this rate, you'll have grown so much, we'll soon have to put you on a diet!"

"Bogg!!!" Jeff yelled.

Bogg winked at this partner and put his arm on his shoulder. "C'mon, kid, let's see what we can find." At this point, the two strolled off toward the marketplace.


	4. Convincing the Treasurer

****

**_VOYAGERS! - _The Voyager Chronicles  
****DISCOVERIES - BOOK 1  
****(The First New Adventure)  
****By DA Daugherty (VoyagersFan)  
****October 2006 (Revised 05/2009)  
****Previous disclaimers apply**

**Chapter 4 - CONVINCING THE TREASURER**

Early the next morning, Bogg and Jeff arrived at Columbus's apartment. The two, dressed in full period attire, softly knocked on the door and made their way inside.

"Mr. Bogg, Mr. Jones, nice to see you once again." Columbus exclaimed as he walked over to greet them. "I pray the two of you had a good night's rest?"

"Yes, we did!" The two responded in unison.

Columbus slowly cast an eye over the two.

"I see you have changed your dress." Columbus said, being somewhat overcome by their appearance.

"Yes, Chris. Jeff and I thought it might prove in our best interest to find some clothes more appropriate for a visit to the Royal Court. We hope these will be satisfactory."

"They will be more than appropriate, indeed!" Columbus agreed.

"Chris, are you ready to sell your ideas to the Treasurer?"

"Mr. Bogg, I'm as ready as can prepare myself to be." Columbus responded with a hint of excitement in his voice. "I have most of my documents and maps right here on the table."

Columbus motioned for Jeff to come toward him. "Mr. Jones, I need your assistance to help me to carry some of these maps."

Without hesitation, the young Voyager walked over to the table. Columbus quickly filled his arms with rolled up parchments and ran off to the other side of the room, leaving him standing by the table. Bogg put his hand over his mouth and bowed his head in an attempt to choke back his laughter. Jeff rolled his eyes and cleared his throat before giving his partner a 'what gives here?' look. Bogg raised his brow and smiled a bit as he shrugged his shoulders in response.

The two continued to observe the crazy explorer as he darted about the room gathering the remaining documents he needed. On several occasions when Columbus was close by, Bogg attempted to start a conversation with him. However, before Bogg could utter a word, the explorer had dashed off to another part of the room leaving him in a cloud of dust. After a time, Columbus seemed to settle into one spot for a moment, thus allowing Bogg to ask him a question.

"Before we leave, Chris… Is there anything we need to know about visiting the Royal Court or the Treasurer? Are there any protocols or any special rituals we must observe?"

"Yes, but, it's nothing that you and Mr. Jones should be concerned about. Just watch, listen and do as I do and you will be just fine. For the brief time that I have been acquainted with you, I have come to realize that you are both very learned and dignified men. The Royal Court is full of men like you, so you should not have any problem at all. Besides, you will have an advantage when we meet with the Treasurer. He too is a very learned and open-minded man. I bet he will be as intrigued with you as I am."

"There is only one problem which I foresee at this moment." Columbus said pointedly.

Jeff, whose armload of parchments were at the moment stacked nose-high, used his tongue to push a roll away from his mouth so he could speak.

"What's that Chris?"

"My young friend. Normally when one requests an audience with a member of the Royal Court, it is usually a matter of courtesy that the request be made several days in advance. Attempting to see the Treasurer on such short notice could be a problem. Like I said, the Treasurer is a very open-minded man. I believe he will grant us a meeting without any undue hardship, but you never can tell."

Bogg looked at his partner. "If all goes well with this meeting, we will need to follow the appropriate courtesies when we seek an audience with the Queen."

"You said it Bogg!"

Columbus continued to gather up his documents and after filling his arms full, dropped several onto the floor. Bogg, walked over, stooped down and picked them up.

"Here, let me take some of those for you. That is what Jeff and I are here for."

"Thank you ever so kindly, Mr. Bogg." Columbus replied as he struggled to hang on to the armload of documents

Jeff cleared his throat in an attempt to get Bogg's attention.

"Oh Bogg… I would appreciate some help here." Jeff said snidely. "Especially since I'm about to tip over."

Bogg chuckled as he ran to his partner's aide and began to take some of the load off of him. "Sorry, kid… We wouldn't want Humpty Dumpty to fall down and break his crown."

Jeff nodded. "You mean Jack."

Bogg paused with a curious expression on his face and whispered to his partner. "Who's Jack?"

"Well duh?" Jeff exclaimed. "You know… Jack… The kid who went with Jill up a hill to fetch a pail of water."

Bogg nodded his head. "Kid, why would anyone go up a hill to get water?" He asked innocently. "Everyone knows water flows downhill."

"Never mind, Bogg…Nevermind."

Soon after, Columbus completed his incessant darting about the room, walked over and stood beside the two Voyagers.

"Well, I guess we are now ready to begin our journey. I have arranged for some mules to take us to the Royal Court. I'm sorry that I don't have a carriage or wagon to use. Unfortunately, this is the best I could do on such short notice."

'How far away is the Royal Court…Chris?" Jeff asked.

"It is more or less an hour's ride from here."

"An hour! Bats-breath!" Bogg whispered as a look of disbelief came over him.

"More or less." Columbus quipped. "You gentlemen act as if you've never had to ride such great distances before."

"Well, at least not on the back of a mule." Bogg said wryly.

Columbus raised his hand and rubbed his chin. "Carriages and wagons must be more abundant where you come from. Come to think of it, what part of Spain are you from? I don't remember us ever speaking of your home."

With some very quick thinking, Bogg once again came up with an answer that appeased Columbus's curiosity.

"Both of us are originally from a town near the southern coast of England. As I said before, we are explorers. We have traveled for many years and visited many areas of this continent. Every town we visit in its own unique way becomes home for Jeff and I."

"Well, I guess it is really not important where you came from." Columbus said with a hint of regret. "My friends, please forgive this old man…my curiosity sometimes gets the better of me. The important thing is that you are here now to help me with this undertaking. Gentlemen, I believe we must now begin our journey if we expect to get back before sunset."

Jeff darted toward the door. "C'mon Bogg. There's a mule with our name on it waiting outside."

"Yea, right kid! Looks like it's going to be another uncomfortable ride!"

"Hey, it builds character!" Jeff teased.

"Ha! More like calluses on my tuba." Bogg mumbled as he walked out the door.

Once outside, Bogg, Jeff and Columbus climbed atop their mules and started their long journey to the Royal Court.

-----------------------------------------------

After about 45 minutes of what was a most uncomfortable ride, Bogg, Jeff and Columbus arrived at the foot of a nearby mountain. Positioned majestically at the top was the beautiful Alhambra Palace with its reddish-brown stone walls. In front of them was a winding dirt road that led up the mountain to the gates of the palace.

Jeff stopped and slid ever so gently off his mule. With a grimace on his face, he attempted to walk about, his legs sore and somewhat stiff from the long ride.

Bogg rode up beside his partner and stopped. "Kid, are you ok?" He asked.

"Yea I guess so. Can we stop here and rest for a moment? I don't think this mule has eaten in years… There's no fat on him and the bony ride is not too comfortable."

"Yea, why don't you go sit under that tree over there and rest awhile. In the meantime, I'll check with Chris to see how much further we have to go."

Jeff gingerly made his way over to the tree and gently sat down underneath it. Columbus, who by now had heard Bogg and Jeff talking behind him, stopped and dismounted his mule. Bogg in turn did the same and walked up to Columbus.

"Chris, how much farther is it?" Bogg asked.

"Mr. Bogg, we are almost there!" Columbus exclaimed as he pointed to the top of the mountain. "Behold, the Alhambra Palace, where the Royal Court resides. The palace gates are at the end of this road."

"Jeff will be thankful to hear that." Bogg said with overwhelming relief. "He's not accustomed to riding such great distances. I really don't want to overtax him since he's just a child."

"Why don't you go and reassure the young lad while I check on the mules." Columbus urged.

Bogg strolled over to the tree where Jeff was sitting. His partner was fidgeting about and wincing in pain.

"Kid, we have a few more miles left to go." Bogg said with a straight face. "Do you think you'll be able to make it?"

Jeff looked up at Bogg in sheer disbelief. "Miles? Did you say miles? How many more miles?"

Bogg laughed and then reached out his hand to help him up off the ground.

"Bogg! C'mon…tell me. How many miles?" Jeff asked as he became more agitated with each passing moment.

"Calm down, I was just teasing." Bogg reassured. "Chris said we are almost there. All we have to do is continue up this road to the top of the mountain."

"I hope so. Otherwise, it may take quite a while for my tuba to heal."

"Look!" Bogg pointed to the top of the mountain. "There's our destination, Alhambra Palace, where the Royal Court is. C'mon let's get back on our mules and get going."

With Jeff at his side, Bogg walked over to their mules. Bogg climbed atop his mule and quickly noticed his partner was not faring so well getting atop his.

"Oh Bogg! I sure could use some help here." Jeff pleaded.

"Gentlemen, are we ready to proceed?" Columbus asked.

"Yes we're ready or at least we will be as soon as I put Jeff back on to his mule." Bogg said with a chuckle.

Bogg got down once again, walked over to Jeff and smiled at him. "Kid, can I get you a ladder…or maybe a mule with shorter legs?"

"Very funny, Bogg!" Jeff exclaimed. "When you've finished making jokes, I really could use a hand here."

"Sorry, kid. Here, let me help you." Bogg picked up his partner and sat him firmly on top of the mule.

"Owwww…Bogg!" Jeff yelled. "You could've been a little bit more gentle."

Bogg shook his head and smiled as he walked over and got back on his mule.

"Chris we're ready now." Bogg said with a hint of a smile.

"Well then, let us be off." Columbus replied.

The three explorers continued their journey up the narrow dirt road to the top of the mountain. Upon reaching their destination, they stopped several yards from the main gate and tied their mules to a nearby tree. After gathering their documents the three began their short walk to the palace gate.

While Columbus continued his pace, Bogg and Jeff stopped briefly to examine the ornate carvings and beautiful stonework of the exterior palace walls. Realizing his two assistants were no longer with him, Columbus stopped for a moment and peered back at the two of them.

"Gentlemen, come along." He urged. "There will be time for studying the antiquities later."

The two, somewhat embarrassed by being so distracted, quickly ran to catch up with their friend.

"Sorry about that Chris." Bogg said humbly. "We were just examining the carvings on the palace walls."

As they continued their walk, in the distance, Jeff noticed two guards stationed outside the main gate. He stopped suddenly and grabbed Bogg's arm. Bogg turned to him with a surprised look.

"Look! Guards!" Jeff whispered.

"Yea and they are fully armed too"

Columbus heard the two whispering, stopped once again and turned around. "What is it now?" He asked.

"Guards!" Bogg whispered. "How are we going to get past them?"

"Don't worry. The guards know me. Remember, I am a member of the Royal Court. They will let me pass." Columbus said with a note of confidence.

"That's ok for you, but what about Jeff and I?" Bogg asked.

"I can vouch for the two of you. Don't concern yourself with them. Gentlemen, everything will be fine, trust me."

Columbus, Jeff and Bogg continued their walk and moments later arrived at the main gate.

"Mr. Columbus?" The first guard said curiously. "What brings you to the palace today?"

"I'm here to see the Royal Treasurer on some business."

"And who are these gentlemen that are with you?"

"These are two of my assistants. They came along to help me with the menial tasks of carrying my documents and maps. You know, I'm not getting any younger." Columbus said with a note of humor in his voice.

"So you can vouch for these two?"

"Yes, most certainly." Columbus exclaimed. "I would trust them with my life."

Just when Columbus thought he had satisfied the curiosity of the first guard, the second one began to inquire about the two strangers he had with him.

"Excuse me. Do they have any identification papers with them?" He asked. "I would like to see them, sir."

Columbus replied. "Yes, they have papers, but not with them. They only had enough arms to carry my maps and parchments."

The first guard looked at his partner and said. "Let them pass. Columbus is a member of the Royal Court and a man of his word. If he says he can vouch for them, you can rest assured he can." He then waved to Columbus and his assistants. "You and your assistants may enter."

Bogg, Jeff and Columbus walked through the gates into the palace. Once inside, the two Voyagers breathed a sigh of relief.

"Whew! That was close." Jeff whispered.

Bogg looked at his partner as he wiped the sweat from his brow. "That was too close, way too close."

Columbus led his friends down a long corridor until he came to the door of the Treasurer's office. He knocked softly on the door and a voice from within asked them to enter. Columbus opened the door and walked inside, with his two assistants following closely behind him. Once inside, a young boy who was the Treasurer's apprentice greeted them.

"Uh…Mr. Columbus, sir. How are you today sir?"

"I am fine lad. Where is the Royal Treasurer?"

"He is with Her Majesty at the moment." The apprentice replied humbly. "It was an urgent request."

"I know how busy the Treasurer is and normally I do not seek an audience with him unannounced, but I do have some business to discuss with him." Columbus said apologetically. "Do you know when he might return?"

"No, sir." The apprentice replied. "But you and your friends are welcome to stay and wait for him. I have work I need to finish before he returns, so please excuse me."

"Lad, you go and tend to your work. We will sit here and wait. It will be a welcome rest after our long journey." Columbus urged as he turned and walked over to a nearby settee. Bogg and Jeff, without hesitation followed suit. The three made themselves comfortable and patiently awaited the Treasurer's return.

--------------------------------------

Some time had passed. Jeff, who was still in agony after his long ride atop a bony mule had become restless with all this waiting. He began to fidget in his seat as if he had ants in his pants. Without warning, he stopped for a moment and turned to his partner with a disconcerting look.

"How much longer do we have to wait for this guy?" He asked.

"I don't know kid. I'd say it must have been something very important, especially since it is taking so long."

Another hour had passed. Now anxious to get on with their mission, Bogg and Columbus had unknowingly begun to mimic the actions of their young partner. Bored from the long wait, each stood up and began to walk around the room, admiring at the various objects and books which the Treasurer had on display. Columbus had managed to make his way to the opposite side of the room and was thumbing through an interesting book he had found when all of a sudden, he was startled by the opening of the door.

Suddenly, a tall, thin wisp of a man, dressed in a long regal robe came into the room and stood just inside the door. Columbus, who had turned to get a look, put down his book and ran over to greet him.

"Good morning to you, Luis." Columbus said cheerfully as the two clasped arms. "I hope your meeting with Her Majesty was productive."

"Yes, most fruitful indeed." Luis agreed. "Her Majesty needed to discuss the state of the Royal coffers. You know the war with the Moors has almost depleted them. But now that the war is over, hopefully that will change."

By now Bogg and Jeff's attention had been diverted from the many objects d'art in the room and was focused on the two men. While they stood observing the event from across the room, Columbus motioned for the two to join him. Bogg put his arm around his partner as the two walked over and stood beside the explorer.

Columbus put his hand on Bogg's shoulder and introduced the two Voyagers.

"Luis, these are my assistants, Phineas Bogg and Jeffrey Jones."

Luis cast an eye over the two. "It is a pleasure to meet both of you." He said with a hint of a smile.

"A pleasure to meet you too, sir." Bogg replied.

Jeff nodded as he returned the greeting. "Nice to meet you sir."

Luis raised his hand and stroked his chin. "My dear friend. What has brought you here today?" I take it the King and Queen summoned you for some important business as well?"

"No, my dear, dear friend." Columbus replied warmly. "I've come to speak with you."

Luis stood for a moment, his mouth agape, stunned by Columbus' words. "Christopher, surely you did not come all this way just to seek an audience with me?" He asked curiously.

"Well, Luis, we did come specifically to see you. I hope we are not being too bold, especially since we came on such short notice."

"Please do not concern yourself with formality Christopher. I'm always grateful to see an old friend. Now, what can I do for you gentlemen today?"

"Well, are you familiar with my latest theories?" Columbus asked with some boldness.

"Ahh! Yes! Those theories of yours!" Luis replied. "I recall you had discussed these matters with His Majesty and requested his assistance to fund a voyage to prove them."

"Yes, Luis! Unfortunately, he scoffed at the idea and turned me down." Columbus quipped with a hint of disappointment in his voice.

"Why don't we all go over to the table, sit down and continue this discussion further?" Luis urged. "I don't know about the three of you, but I've been standing and prostrating myself before the Royals all day. My feet so could use a rest at the moment."

"By all means, my dear friend." Columbus agreed.

The Treasurer, showing some discomfort with each step he took, slowly made his way over to a nearby table and sat down. Bogg, Jeff and Columbus followed him and likewise seated themselves.

"Gentlemen, I know you must be parched from your long journey here and I know I am after my extended meeting with the Queen." Luis acknowledged. "Allow me to instruct my apprentice to get some refreshments for us all and then we will continue our discussion."

"We are in your gratitude, my dear friend." Columbus replied.

Luis slowly turned and summoned his apprentice to his side.

"Lad, I need you to go and get some refreshments for us all. Please do so quickly."

"Yes sir, I will make haste and be back shortly." The apprentice acknowledged. Just as quickly as the request had been made of him, he left the room.

"Now gentlemen, let us continue with our conversation. Please explain how I can be of assistance to you in this matter."

"Well, Luis, you are acquainted with the details of my theories, correct?" Columbus asked humbly.

"Yes, I am somewhat familiar with them based on what I heard coming from the Royal Court. Why don't you explain them to me fully so I will have a complete understanding of them?" Luis asked with a obvious expression of curiosity on his face.

"I would be more than happy to do so." Columbus agreed.

"Theory number one is the belief that the world is not flat as everyone perceives it to be, but rather it is round. I believe if a person sails a ship in a straight line out to sea, he will after a time return to his starting point."

"Hmmm. Interesting. How did you come to that conclusion? What facts did you find to support this theory?"

"Think about it. If the world was flat and you sailed too close to the edge; you would fall off." Columbus stated as he ran his hand across the table and over its edge. "If that were the case, wouldn't the waters of the oceans dry up, since they too would fall over the edge?"

"I see. That makes sense." Luis agreed. "Please do continue."

"I also believe there is a shorter, more direct route to Cathay. If we could prove this to be true, it would take months off the current trade route. This would allow us to increase our current trade, which in turn would bring the country greater riches and wealth. This is my second theory."

"True." Luis agreed. "The discovery of a shorter route to Cathay would allow us to increase our trading capabilities. But, as a result of the ravages of war, we have a limited number of ships available for use. So if we found a shorter route, we would have to build more ships to handle the increased trade."

Jeff, in an attempt to sure up the reasoning behind Columbus's theories, spoke up. "Sir, even with a small number of ships, you would still be able to make twice as many trips in the same amount of time. The increased trade would give you the funds to build more ships. The more ships you build, the more trade you do and the more profits you will have for your country."

Luis nodded his head, surprised by the young boy's observations. "Mr. Jones, for a person of your years, you are quite well versed in the ways of the world. We need someone like you at the Royal Court. How did you become so knowledgeable?"

"My dad was a teacher, he…" Jeff said as looked at Bogg. "…he and Bogg taught me everything I know."

Bogg smiled and winked at his partner. "Yes, his dad was a man of great wisdom and knowledge. He taught the lad many things and brought him up very well. Unfortunately, both his dad and his mom passed away several years ago from an unexpected and unfortunate accident. Because of this, I now have the opportunity to be a teacher to him as well."

"So, in other words Mr. Jones is your apprentice?" Luis asked.

"Yes, you could say that. Jeff and I have a very unique relationship. We tend to work together and learn from our individual experiences as well as those we share." Bogg explained. "But, enough about Jeff and I. We need to get back to discussing these theories."

"Oh, I'm so sorry my dear, dear friend." Luis pleaded. "We seem to have gone somewhat astray in our discussion. Please do continue."

"That's quite alright gentlemen." Columbus reassured.

"My last theory is this. I believe there are undiscovered lands with untold riches on the other side of the oceans just waiting to be conquered. If we could find those lands and claim them in the name of Spain, just imagine what effect it would have. We could become a great and powerful country."

"I believe His Majesty would show much favor for your last theory, Christopher. My only question is this...What do you have to offer as far as evidence to support these theories?"

At that point, the apprentice arrived with the refreshments. He set some goblets down on the table and filled each of them with wine from a large flask. In the middle of the table he placed a large plate filled with various fruits, breads and cheeses.

Jeff reached for his goblet. Unfortunately though, Bogg had already beaten him to it and covered it with his hand.

"No, Jeff. No wine for you and I!" Bogg said staunchly.

"C'mon Bogg, I'm thirteen now. I'm old enough to have some." He pleaded.

"Nope! Jeff, you heard me." Bogg picked up Jeff's goblet and his own and set them aside.

"In light of your generous hospitality could we be so bold as to ask for some water instead of the wine?" Bogg asked.

"My dear friends, I'm so sorry about that." Luis said humbly. "I should have asked you for your preference of drink. The treasurer motioned to his apprentice and he removed their goblets of wine from the table. After replacing their contents back into the large flask, the apprentice filled them with water and placed them back on the table.

"That's ok. May I call you Luis?" Bogg asked.

"Yes, you may Mr. Bogg."

Bogg pointed to his young companion. "Jeff here is a little bit young to be indulging himself with wine. I myself would prefer a goblet of cool, spring water. I hope we have not offended you?"

"Gentlemen, I have taken no offense to your actions. Please, have some bread, cheese and fruit." Luis graciously urged as he passed the plate around to them.

"Now Christopher my dear friend, I bid you please do continue. What evidence do you have to support these theories of yours?"

"I have in my possession several maps, charts and parchments for you to read. These contain much information to support my theories." Columbus explained as he picked up several parchments and handed them to the treasurer.

Luis unrolled some of the maps and parchments and peered over them. After a few minutes, he looked up from the documents and began to speak.

"You know, if these theories are proven to be true, Spain could become one of the richest nations in the world. All the evidence is here, here in these documents. My dear and learned friend, you have truly made a believer of me! Allow me to familiarize myself with the remainder of these documents later. What else can I help you with?"

Bogg decided to jump in at this point and help his friend. "Excuse me for interrupting, but, Christopher needs some help with funding this journey."

"But how can I help with that?" Luis asked.

"Well, aren't you the Treasurer?" Jeff asked with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"Jeffrey!" Bogg quipped as he gave him a stern look.

Luis turned to Bogg. "Please, Mr. Bogg, don't be too hard on the young boy. He does have a point. I am the Treasurer for the Royal Court. If there's anyone who could help in this matter, I'd say it should be me."

Bogg gave his partner a nod of approval before continuing his conversation.

"Sir, as you already know, Christopher approached King Ferdinand concerning this voyage several months ago during the war with the Moors. At that time, he presented the King with the same information that he has presented to you here today. He was turned down by the King, due to the lack of funds available with the war going on."

"Yes, I know all about that." Luis replied as he lowered his head somewhat shamefully. "Unfortunately, I know that fact all too well. The King was correct in his statements. The war HAS put a tremendous strain on the funds of the Royal Court. And now, there's little if anything left in reserve. In light of this, what assistance can I ever hope to give to you?"

"Please sir, hear me out." Bogg said with a note of concern and urgency in his voice. "There is a way you can help us."

Luis nodded. "How? Please explain how the keeper of the less than bountiful Royal coffers could even remotely assist you in this endeavor?"

"This war with the Moors ended some four months ago. So surely there would be some resources available now to proceed with this journey, right?" Bogg asked.

"There are some resources available now. Not many, but some." Luis replied.

"The other way you can help us is by using your favor with Her Royal Highness, the Queen. As I understand it, she is very responsive to you and listens to your advice quite frequently. If you could convince her that this voyage is worthwhile for the Royal Court and her country, she might give the authorization to fund it."

"Mr. Bogg, you are quite an enlightened person. Christopher should be very grateful to have both you and Mr. Jones to assist him. Yes, you are correct, I do have some favor with the Queen and she does take my suggestions under advisement from time to time. Maybe I could speak to her about it. You know, I truly believe this would be a worthwhile undertaking for the Royal Court."

"We also think this is a worthwhile undertaking for the Royal Court and for Spain." Bogg said with a smile. "Otherwise we would not be here."

At this point, the Treasurer jumped to his feet. "Gentlemen, let me see what I can do. I will attempt to seek an audience with Her Majesty tomorrow and discuss these ideas with her. In the meantime, I know two other members of the Royal Court who are very close to the Queen. I will summon them here and speak to them about this matter as well. I believe I can persuade them of the benefits of this voyage. Surely the three of us can convince Her Majesty to authorize the funding for this."

Upon hearing this revelation, Columbus stood up, walked over and embraced his friend. "Thank you Luis for all your help. I couldn't have picked a better friend in the Royal Court."

"Don't thank me too soon Christopher. We still have much to do to convince the Queen. Now then my friends, I must begin the work that is ahead of us. I will send for you when I have some news. If you would, please excuse me."

"Thank you again Luis." Columbus said humbly.

Bogg turned to the treasurer and offered his hand in thanks. "Thank you sir for your help as well as your generous hospitality." Luis glanced at the Voyager's hand with a puzzled look on his face. At this point, Bogg suddenly realized he did not understand the meaning of such a modern gesture. He smiled bashfully and quickly put his hand at his side as they started toward the door.

Upon leaving the Treasurer's office, the three made their way down the grand hallway and exited the main doors. After bidding adieu to the guards on duty, Columbus and the two Voyagers climbed atop their mules and started their return journey back to Columbus's apartment.

Bogg was now extremely pleased with the outcome of this meeting. Feeling his oats, he turned to his friend and commenced to tease him about it.

"Well, Chris, if this meeting is any indication, you better be packing your bags for your upcoming voyage."

"Yea, and in a hurry too." Jeff quipped.

"Whoa!" Columbus barked as he pulled back on the reins. The mule, not even breaking a sweat at this point, obeyed without hesitation. Bogg and Jeff stopped in their tracks and peered curiously at the crazy explorer.

Jeff leaned forward and whispered to his partner. "Why are we stopping Bogg?"

"Beat's me kid." Bogg whispered as he shrugged his shoulders. "I think it was something I said."

Columbus glanced over to Bogg and with a bit of a smile, concurred. "Yes, Mr. Bogg… It was indeed something you said. Gentlemen, this was only a small victory. Convincing Luis was simple. Convincing Her Majesty, well, that will be a much more difficult task."

Bogg nodded and smiled sheepishly.

"Chris, I'm sorry." Bogg said with remorse. "It was not my intention to offend you. I was just being positive about this latest victory."

"No offense taken." Columbus replied warmly. "However, I did not want this one victory to lull you into a false sense of security. This "war" is not over yet. We have many more battles to fight before the end."

Bogg put his hand on Columbus' shoulder. "Chris, just remember. There may be many more battles to fight, but you are not facing them alone. You have Jeff and I on your side and Luis the Treasurer too. By tomorrow, you will have two more people who will be supporting your cause. And we will all be there to support you when you meet with the Queen."

"Thank you both for all your support and assistance in this matter." Columbus said humbly. "With that said, shall we proceed?"

"Yes!" Jeff exclaimed. "The sooner we get going the sooner I can get down off this beast."

"Really?" Bogg quipped.

"Yea, really." Jeff teased. Without warning, he snapped the reins and yelled, "Hi-ho Silver away!" Quickly he and his mule zoomed past and left Bogg and Columbus in a cloud of dust.

"Wait, Jeffrey!" Bogg yelled out and swiftly put a heel to his mule. With a puzzled look on his face, he nodded and muttered to himself. "Hi-ho silver?"


	5. Gathering the Reinforcements

****

_**VOYAGERS! **_**- The Voyager Chronicles  
****DISCOVERIES - BOOK 1  
****(The First New Adventure)  
****By DA Daugherty (VoyagersFan)  
****October 2006 (Revised 05/2009)  
****Previous disclaimers apply**

**Chapter 5 - GATHERING THE REINFORCEMENTS**

After the three had left, Luis summoned the two other officials he had spoken of to his office. His intention was to persuade them Columbus's ideas were sound and should be acted upon immediately for the good of Spain and the Royal Court. The three were now seated around the table and were about to begin their discussion.

"I have asked the two of you to come because I have an interesting proposal to put before you." Luis said. "I just had a rather interesting meeting with my friend Columbus."

"You met with the crazy explorer?" The first official asked.

"Yes!" Luis confirmed. "I did.

The second official stroked his chin and responded. "And what interesting ideas did he have for you today?"

"Well, you know the Royal Treasury is quite depleted at this time due to the ravages of war with the Moors."

"Yes, we both know." The first official replied. "It's taken an obvious toll on activities here at the Royal Court.

"What does that have to do with Columbus?" The second official asked.

"Columbus and his friends came to me today to seek my help." Luis said pointedly. "They need funding from the Royal Court for a voyage. One, which, if successfully completed could and most certainly would fill the Royal coffers and much more."

"What's the proposal now?" The first official asked, somewhat skeptically. "You remember, he went to the King some time ago and made some outlandish claims of a shorter route to Cathay. Not to mention the existence of undiscovered lands on the other side of the oceans. "

"Well, it's the same proposal." Luis confirmed.

The two officials laughed hysterically. Once they had composed themselves, the two began to poke fun at Luis for his supposed gullibility.

"Wait, please, let me finish!" Luis exclaimed impatiently as he interrupted their bit of humor.

"He and his friends came to me and discussed all of his theories. Columbus made three claims that are supported by the documents and maps he brought before me. His theories are these: The first theory is the world is round, not flat as most believe. The second theory he proposed was is a quicker more direct route to Cathay. And finally, his last theory proposes the existence of undiscovered lands filled with untold riches. He and his friends explained some of the evidence and left documents and maps that further support them."

"Gentlemen, please take a look at these documents." Luis urged as he passed around several of Columbus's documents and maps for the officials to look at. 'The way I see it, if all of his theories prove to be true, we could become the richest and most powerful country on the continent.

The eyes of the two officials began to glaze over after hearing Luis's last statement. They took the documents, carefully unrolled them and began to scrutinize their contents. Minutes later, the first official looked up from the parchments in a state of astonishment and began to speak.

"He has some really good supporting evidence to back up his claims. I'd say, based on this evidence alone, these ideas should be explored further. If he is in fact correct in his assumptions, I shudder to think what effect it would have on our country. We as a country, cannot afford to ignore them. A voyage should be undertaken and the sooner the better." He turned to the second official and asked, "Wouldn't you agree?"

"Yes, most assuredly." The second official replied. "Luis, what can we do to help?"

"Well, his problem is funding. As you well know, he sought an audience with the King and requested funding for his voyage. Unfortunately, he did so during the time of the war with the Moors. With the Royal coffers at their minimum, it was the wrong time to have made such a request. The King scoffed and turned him down. Due to this, His Majesty will no longer listen to him."

The first official, who now sported a somewhat curious look on his face, pointed out the obvious.

"If His Majesty will no longer listen to him, how can we help him?"

"I thought you'd never ask." Luis responded with a hint of a smile on his lips. "If His Majesty won't listen, then we must take this matter to the Queen. We must convince her of the merits of this journey."

"How do we do that?" The first official asked.

"Well, I'll tell you how. The three of us are without a doubt Her Majesty's closest advisors. Isn't that correct, gentlemen?"

"Yes, we most certainly are." The first official replied.

"I know the Queen listens and takes your recommendations under advisement in much the same way as she does for me. That's why I have summoned you here. I need a few more supporters to assist me in my attempt to persuade her."

"I'm going to seek an audience with Her Majesty tomorrow to convince her of the merits of Columbus's theories. Can I count on the two of you to come with me and assist in this matter?" Luis asked.

"Unfortunately, due to other pressing issues, we won't be in attendance tomorrow." The first official stated. "If you need us in the future, we will do everything possible to help."

"Good. So, I can count on the two of you?" Luis asked.

"Yes. We WILL support you in this matter."

The second official turned to his partner. "I still can't believe the crazy explorer has figured this one out. If he succeeds in proving these theories, he will be the most famous person in the country, if not the world."

The two quickly rose from their seats, walked over and stood beside Luis. "We're sorry, but we must take our leave of you to prepare for our tasks tomorrow." The second official said. "Good afternoon, Luis."

"Good afternoon to you both."

The two officials left the Treasurer's office. Luis walked over and sat down at his desk and began writing a request to the Queen. He then summoned his apprentice.

"Lad." Luis prompted as he waived his arm. "Come here."

"Yes sir." The apprentice replied. He quickly walked over to the desk were the Treasurer was sitting.

"Please take this note with all haste to Her Majesty's Royal secretary and wait there for a reply."

"Yes sir." The apprentice replied as took the note from Luis' hands and darted out the door.

Several hours later, the apprentice returned with a reply from the Queen. He handed the note to Luis, who slowly opened and began to read it. Much to his surprise, the Queen had granted his request.

**_VOYAGERS!_ - The Voyager Chronicles  
****DISCOVERIES - BOOK 1  
****(The First New Adventure)  
****By DA Daugherty (VoyagersFan)  
****October 2006 (Revised 05/2009)  
****Previous disclaimers apply**


	6. Urgent Business

_**VOYAGERS! **_**- The Voyager Chronicles  
****DISCOVERIES - BOOK 1  
****(The First New Adventure)  
****By DA Daugherty (VoyagersFan)  
****October 2006 (Revised 05/2009)  
****Previous disclaimers apply**

**Chapter 6 - URGENT BUSINESS**

The next day, the Queen and her consorts were gathered inside the Great Hall discussing plans for the upcoming Royal Ball. The Queen loved such social events as this, as it was a widely known fact throughout the whole of the Royal Court. At this moment, Her Majesty was in a jovial mood and the hall was filled with laughter and gaiety. She had summoned The Royal Seamstress to her side and was now being fitted for a new gown to wear to the event.

As Luis arrived for his upcoming meeting with the Queen, the Royal Secretary met him just outside the door of the Great Hall.

"Good morning." Luis said warmly. "Can you tell me where I am, with regard to the schedule of audiences today?"

"Her Majesty pretty much has a full day ahead of her." She replied. "She is meeting with the Royal Seamstress at the moment."

"Ahh! Yes…I had almost forgotten about the Royal Ball."

"If you don't mind waiting, you are next on her schedule." She said.

"Ma'am, it's Her Majesty we are speaking of. I don't mind waiting at all." Luis said humbly.

"If you would sir, please be seated and I will come for you when she is ready."

As the Royal Secretary walked away to take care of other business, Luis took a seat just outside the doors to the Great Hall and waited patiently for her return.

An hour passed. Inside the Great Hall, Her Majesty the Queen had completed her meeting with the Royal Seamstress and had dismissed her. Waiving her scepter to one side, she turned to the Royal Secretary and commanded thus, "I will see the Royal Treasurer now, please have him attend us."

The Royal Secretary proceeded through the doors of the Great Hall into the waiting area to summon the Royal Treasurer.

"Her Majesty will see you now. Come!" She said as she motioned for Luis to follow.

Luis walked through the large doors of the Great Hall, then, slowly and humbly approached the Queen.

"Your Majesty." Luis said as he prostrated himself before her.

"Arise, my dear Luis." The Queen commanded. "What brings you to request an audience today?"

"Your Majesty, I am here to discuss some urgent business with you."

"Is it concerning the matters which we discussed yesterday?" She asked.

"No, Your Majesty." Luis replied most humbly. "This is about a different matter altogether."

"We are listening…please do enlighten us."

Luis began to tell her of his meeting with Columbus. He explained Columbus's theories in great detail and the benefits of proving them. The Queen sat and listened with look of curiosity on her face. After he had finished, the Queen responded.

"We see. So you believe this voyage to be a worthwhile venture for the Royal Court?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. If his theories are proven correct, we as a country will gain much from the voyage. Also, the Royal coffers will be in much better shape than they are today, especially after the war with the Moors. All that I ask of you Your Majesty is to grant Columbus and his assistants an audience with you. Let them explain their intentions further as well as the end result on the Royal Court if they are successful."

The Queen sat silent for a moment as she pondered Luis' statements.

"My dear Luis, please summon your friend Columbus to attend us tomorrow morning. We will listen to what he has to say and weigh its merits. Afterward, we will decide whether or not to authorize funding for the voyage."

The Queen again waived her scepter. "You may now go." She commanded.

Before he had reached the door the Queen spoke once more. "Oh, one more thing, my dear Luis."

Luis stopped in his tracks and bowed as he turned to face her.

"Yes, Your Majesty." He replied.

"I hope you will be able to join us at the upcoming Royal Ball."

"Most certainly, Your Majesty! I would dare not miss such a joyous event."

"We look forward to seeing you there." She replied.

"Thank you very much, Your Majesty." Luis said as he bowed once again, turned and slowly walked from the Great Hall. He went back to his office and summoned his apprentice for another task.

"Lad, I need you to take a message to Columbus. You do know where Columbus and his friends are staying, don't you?"

"Yes, Columbus lives in an apartment over near the marketplace." The apprentice replied.

"That's right. Please take this message to him and his friends. I'm sure they will be pleased when they hear this good news."

"I'm on my way sir."

---------------------------------------

An hour or so later at Columbus' apartment, the crazy explorer was again sitting at his desk, compass in hand as he attempted to chart a course across an old map of the world. Without warning there came a knock at the door. He put down his compass, got up from his desk and walked toward the door.

"Come..." Columbus said. The Treasurer's apprentice burst through the door and almost knocked the explorer to the floor.

"Mr. Columbus!" The apprentice exclaimed as he gasped for air.

"Yes Lad, what is it?" Columbus asked. Realizing the boy was quite spent from his travels; he took hold of him and assisted him to a nearby chair.

Bogg and Jeff were sitting at the table in the middle of the room, going over the maps and documents with a fine-toothed comb when they noticed the lad.

"Bogg!" Jeff whispered as he poked his partner on the arm. "Look, it's the Treasurer's apprentice."

"Yea kid. It must be a message from the Treasurer."

"I hope it's some good news." Jeff said.

"I do too."

Once the apprentice had gotten his breath, he began to explain his reason for being there.

"Mr. Columbus, the Treasurer sent me to deliver a message to you." He then handed the letter to Columbus.

Columbus opened the letter and began to read it as he walked over to the table where Bogg and Jeff were sitting.

"Gentlemen, the Queen wishes to see us tomorrow morning to discuss my theories."

"That's great!!" The two Voyagers exclaimed in unison.

"Lad, I thank you for all your efforts to bring this letter to me." Columbus urged. "Please sit and rest for a moment."

"Thank you kindly sir, but, I must leave now. That is, if I expect to make it back to the Treasurer's office before dark."

The apprentice sprung up and made his way through the door and set off on his journey back home. Columbus closed the door behind him and turned to face the two Voyagers.

"Well, we are almost there. It's almost a success and I have the two of you to thank for the progress so far."

"Thanks are not necessary." Bogg replied. "We're here to help and as you said earlier, the war is not yet over. There are a few battles yet to be won before that happens."

"Jeff, maybe it's time for you and I to leave. Chris has much he needs to do to prepare for tomorrow's meeting. Also, we need to get some food and a good night's sleep to prepare for our long ride."

"Oh yea, mules!" Jeff said with some sarcasm. "Like you just had to remind me."

"Like you said, it builds character!" Bogg said as he nodded and grinned.

"Yea, I remember. Remind me never to say anything like that again."

"C'mon, kid." Bogg grabbed Jeff by the shoulders and pushed him toward the door.

"Chris, the kid and I will be back in the morning. Good afternoon to you."

"Good afternoon to you both."


	7. Columbus' Audience With the Queen

****

_**VOYAGERS! **_**- The Voyager Chronicles  
****DISCOVERIES - BOOK 1  
****(The First New Adventure)  
****By DA Daugherty (VoyagersFan)  
****October 2006 (Revised 05/2009)  
****Previous disclaimers apply**

**Chapter 7 - AN AUDIENCE WITH THE QUEEN**

Early the next morning Bogg and Jeff eagerly arrived at Columbus's apartment ready to accompany him to the Royal Court. Much to their surprise, however, they found the crazy explorer still hard at work finalizing his preparations for the meeting. While waiting patiently for him to complete his tasks, the two had taken up residence at the table in the middle of the room. To pass the time, Bogg pulled out a deck of cards he had commandeered during their visit to free Harriet Tubman and was currently showing his partner the fine art of playing Schnibbitz.

"So… kiddo, whatcha got?"

Jeff gallantly placed his hand on the table. "Read 'em and weep… Three jacks, hee…hee…hee!

"Ahh! Three jacks…" Bogg teased as he nodded and gazed at his hand. "I don't know kid, that's gonna be a pretty tough hand to beat."

Jeff smiled. "Ok, enough of the chatter. It's reveal time… show me whatcha got!"

Bogg smiled mischievously at his partner. "You really want to know?"

"Show me the money!" Jeff teased.

"The money?" Bogg asked innocently. "Remember, kid, we're not playing for money."

Jeff rolled his eyes. "Just show me your hand… Ok, Bogg!"

"Ok…just remember…you asked for it!" Bogg slowly placed his hand on the table. "Three kings! And as I recall, three kings beats three one-eyed jacks."

"C'mon Bogg, you cheated…'Fess up, where'd you hide that extra card?"

Bogg looked at Jeff with an exaggerated expression of disbelief on his face. "What, me? Cheat at Schnibbitz… Never!" He quickly held up his hand. "On my oath as a Voyager, I would never do that!"

"Yea right!" Jeff mumbled. "Like that's ever going to happen."

"What was that, kid?" Bogg teased.

Jeff sat back in his chair and sighed. "Oh nothing… When it comes right down to it, I guess you won that one fair and square."

Bogg nodded in agreement and smiled at his partner.

"So let's see now… that makes what…two hands I've won. One more hand and you'll have to make good on your little bet of spit-polishing my boots. But we'll save this last hand for another time. We've got more important things to think about right now."

Bogg picked the cards up off the table and stacked them in his hand. As he shuffled and straightened them, he stood up and made his way over to the desk where Columbus was now sitting.

"Chris, we have a big day ahead of us. Shouldn't we be getting started?"

"Gentlemen, I'm just putting the finishing touches on these documents. Give me a few moments to gather up the remainder of them and we shall be on our way."

Columbus' nerves were quite frayed by the sheer prospect of this meeting with the Queen. He had become edgy and his energy level had spiked off the charts. He rose from his seat and like a jackrabbit with its tail on fire; he began darting about the room gathering up documents and maps in a chaotic manner.

"Chris, you need to calm down" Bogg urged as his eyes followed Columbus around the room. "You don't want to hurt yourself prior to this meeting."

Jeff tugged on Bogg's arm and whispered, "He's got it bad, Bogg."

"Yea, and if he doesn't slow down, he's definitely going to lose it." Bogg whispered with note of humor in his voice.

After minutes of flitting about the room, Columbus ran past Bogg and came to a screeching halt near the door.

"Gentlemen, I believe we are ready to depart. Shall we proceed?" He asked.

Bogg put his deck of cards in the pocket of his jerkin. "We're right behind you Chris." He replied.

The three walked outside the apartment to their waiting transportation. Bogg followed Jeff over to his mule, anticipating he would need some help to climb aboard.

"Need a hand?" Bogg asked his partner.

"I guess so." Jeff replied indifferently. "I am definitely not looking forward to this ride. Especially on this bony mule."

"Wait a minute, kiddo." Bogg said as his partner attempted to climb atop the beast.

"What?"

"I'll tell you what." Bogg said as he smiled and scooped his partner up, threw him over his shoulder and walked toward his own mule.

"C'mon Bogg, what are you doing?" Jeff pleaded.

After a few steps, Bogg removed Jeff from his shoulders and sat him atop of his own mule.

"If it's any consolation to you, I am not looking forward to it either" Bogg affirmed. "Since you rode that bony old mule on the last trip, you can ride the fattened up one this trip. How 'bout that?"

"Thanks Bogg!"

"You're welcome, kid…umm…I think!"

Bogg walked over to Jeff's mule, got upon it and the three began their journey to the Palace.

------------------------------------------

After their long journey, Bogg, Jeff and Columbus finally arrived at the Palace. Once again they tied their mules to the same tree as they did on their last visit, walked to the main gate and entered into the palace. Outside the Great Hall, the Queen's Royal Secretary greeted them.

"Good morning to you all."

The three responded almost in unison, returning the greeting.

"Her Majesty will be ready to see you shortly." She said. "In the meantime, if you gentlemen would like to rest after your long journey, you may sit over there and wait. When Her Majesty is ready to see you, I will be back for you."

"Thank you, you are most kind." Columbus replied.

The three walked over to a small alcove and sat down in some chairs that had been artfully arranged on either side. As they waited patiently, Columbus became even more nervous than he was previously at his apartment. Having noticed this change in him, Bogg and Jeff attempted to do their best to calm him down.

"Chris. Why are you so uptight?" Bogg asked.

"Well, I've waited so long for this moment, and I'm worried that I might mess up this opportunity."

"Mess it up? C'mon Chris!" Jeff exclaimed. "How could you possibly mess this up?"

"Mr. Jones…anything is possible." Columbus said humbly.

Jeff nodded in disbelief. "Ok… let's take a moment to review this situation. You are a member of the Royal Court, right?"

"Yes, Mr. Jones, I am."

"So you are also familiar with the protocols for these meetings?" Jeff asked.

"Yes."

"And you have complete confidence in your theories as well as your supporting evidence?"

"Yes, I stand by my theories and the evidence as well" Columbus replied.

"Then, as I see it, you have nothing at all to be worried about." Jeff concluded.

Bogg chimed in. "Chris…When the time comes, just walk in, present your theories and supporting evidence and ask for what you need. Above all else, be confident, tactful and show respect to your Queen. If you run into trouble, Jeff and I will be there to help."

After listening to Bogg and Jeff's obvious pep talk, a wave of calm and confidence came across Columbus' face. "Gentlemen, thank you once again for everything you have done thus far. I don't know what it is about you two, but, you always seem to come up with the right words for just about any occasion."

Jeff looked at Bogg and poked him in the side. "Hey, anytime you need a psychiatrist, just call us. We're good and we're cheap." He said with a chuckle.

"What's a psychiatrist?" Bogg whispered innocently.

"Never mind, Bogg! I'll explain later."

At that moment, the Royal Secretary came from the Great Hall and approached the three. "Her Majesty will see you now. If you would, please follow me."

Columbus followed the secretary into the Great Hall with Bogg and Jeff on his heels. They approached the Queen and bowed before her.

"Arise Mr. Columbus." The Queen commanded. "Please introduce us to your friends."

Columbus stepped aside and pointed to the two voyagers. "Your Majesty, this is Mr. Phineas Bogg and Mr. Jeffrey Jones. They have traveled here from a far away land to assist me with my work."

The two Voyagers bowed again to the Queen. Bogg rose and began to speak. "It is our pleasure to be in the presence of a Queen of such beauty, Your Majesty."

In response to Bogg's statement, Jeff nudged him in the side and looked at him with a raised eyebrow. Bogg understood the subtle message he was being sent and shrugged his shoulders.

"For foreigners, you most definitely know how to impress a Queen." The Queen replied. "Now, please arise and be welcomed to the Royal Court."

"Mr. Columbus, we understand from the Royal Treasurer that you have an interesting proposal to make to us. As we comprehend it thus far, this proposal could bring untold wealth and riches to Royal Court and the country."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Columbus replied. "If I may be so bold, I would like to explain my theories and supporting evidence to you."

"Mr. Columbus, we are listening. Please do begin." She commanded.

"Your Majesty. Currently, I have three theories that I believe, if proven to be true, would bring untold riches and wealth to this country. Let me explain further."

"The first of my theories proposes the world as we know it is round, not flat like most scholars currently believe."

"Yes we have heard of this theory, but what evidence do you have to support it?" She asked curiously.

"Your Majesty, according to most scholars, we are warned if we sail a ship too far west, we will inevitably fall off the edge of the world into a never-ending abyss. My evidence is this. If in fact the world was flat and sailing too far west would cause you to fall off the edge, then why have the oceans yet to dry up? I say, if a ship can go too far and fall off the edge, the same would also be true for the oceans. However as you see with your own eyes, the oceans are still filled with an abundance of water."

"Mr. Columbus, it is not my intention to insult you, however, what you have said so far is not evidence, but rather, supposition, pure and simple. Please do continue."

"The second of my theories proposes the existence of a new route to Cathay. I have come to the conclusion based on studying various maps and documentation from other sailors, that, if we sail a ship due west from our ports we will reach the land of Cathay. Using this more direct route, we will get there much quicker than we do using the current route over land. The end result would allow us to increase our trading capabilities as well as our profits. Just imagine the riches to be gained from the spice trade alone. Also, it will allow us replenish the funds of the Royal Treasury quicker, after their depletion by the last war."

"We see, Mr. Columbus. True, finding a quicker route will increase our trade and fill our royal coffers, but you still have not provided us with any evidence that proves your theory." The Queen replied with a hint of skepticism in her tone.

As Bogg and Jeff stood in the Great Hall, bearing witness to Columbus' presentation, they couldn't help but notice their friend was growing increasingly frustrated with the Queen's responses.

"My last theory, proposes the existence of undiscovered lands on the other side of the oceans. Just imagine the impact on our country, if this theory was proven to be true. We could sail to those lands and claim them and their untold riches in the name of Spain. With the addition of these territories, we could become the most powerful country on the continent. "

'If I may be so bold, Your Majesty. I would like for you to take a look at the documents and maps which support my theories." Columbus said as he attempted to disguise his apparent frustration. He approached the Queen and handed her several parchments.

The Queen began to examine the documents. After several minutes of mind-numbing silence in the Great Hall, she looked up and began to speak.

"Your theories are interesting, but you have only a limited amount of evidence to support them."

"That is why I came to you, Your Majesty, to request the funds and resources to prove my theories. The evidence I have brought before you today is based on the available information that I have thus far. I need ships and funding to set sail and explore these theories." Columbus said, with a somewhat sarcastic tone.

By now, Bogg and Jeff had realized this meeting was not going as well as had expected. The outcome was not looking very hopeful for their friend. While Columbus and the Queen continued to discuss the issues, the two Voyagers whispered to each other, comparing notes. They knew they needed to do something to salvage this situation. They needed a plan and they needed it quickly.

"Your Majesty!" Bogg said humbly. "May I be so bold as to address the Queen?"

"Please sir, do approach and address us." She commanded.

"Your Majesty, my friend and I have studied the current information upon which Mr. Columbus has based his theories. Even though there is a only a small amount of hard evidence at this time which indicates their validity, both of us, believe that providing the funds to explore these theories would be in the best interest of the Royal Court and the country. It also has been brought to our attention in our various travels; these same theories are being debated in other lands. Currently, as we understand it, the King of England is in the process of setting about to fund the same exploration that Columbus has proposed. My question to you is this…Can you risk having these theories proven by another country? Or, even worse, having another country reaping the rewards of proving them?"

Suddenly, the room became gravely silent. Those in attendance stood quietly, their mouths agape, trying to anticipate the Queen's response. No member of the Royal Court had so questioned the Queen's judgment nor had they ever addressed her in such a bold and familiar manner.

The Queen, obviously caught off guard by Bogg's statements, paused for a moment before making her reply.

"Mr. Bogg. The Royal Court appreciates your opinions. You make several valid points in support of Columbus's request. We however, must weigh the possibilities of success against the amount of funding needed to take on this task. You must understand, our Royal Treasury is almost depleted. We cannot afford to be wasteful of the funds which remain."

"Mr. Columbus. We have sat here and listened patiently and with an open mind. We commend you, sir, on the time and thought that you expended on your theories and supporting evidence. However, we cannot approve the funding to allow you to carry out such a voyage, especially with the amount of evidence you have brought before me. We are truly sorry." She waived her scepter toward the entrance. "You may go now."

With this, the three bowed before the Queen. As they rose, Bogg expressed his gratitude to her for granting them an audience.

"Thank you, Your Majesty for allowing us the opportunity to discuss these matters with you." Bogg said humbly.

Columbus and the two voyagers immediately left the Great Hall. They got upon their mules and began their journey back to the apartment. During their ride home, Columbus spoke not a word, not even when Bogg and Jeff attempted to talk with him. He just rode his mule with his head down in extreme disappointment.

While the three continued their long journey home, little did they realize, back at the Royal Court, Luis was about to throw down the gauntlet to show the Queen the error of her ways. He and the other two officials had been inside the Great hall during Columbus' meeting and had heard the entire presentation as well as the outcome. They knew the Queen did not fully realize she was passing up a golden opportunity. This was even more apparent, with the King of England now in pursuit of this same quest. With an aura of confidence and professionalism, the three approached the Queen and put their plan into action.

"Your Majesty, may we have a moment of your time." Luis asked as he prostrated himself before her.

"Yes, please approach." The Queen commanded.

"It is concerning Mr. Columbus's theories. Your Royal Highness, we beg of you to please reconsider your decision."

"Why? Please give us reasons why we should reconsider?" She asked.

"The three of us have conversed with Mr. Columbus and have studied his evidence thoroughly. There is a very good chance that his theories are accurate." Luis said boldly.

"And the only sure way of proving them is to fund the voyage." The first official stated.

"Just imagine all the wealth and riches which will be gained by the increased trade with Cathay. The happiness of the King, after claiming all those undiscovered lands in the name of Spain." The second official said as he attempted to paint a picture of the effects of such a discovery..

At this point, the first official spoke up. "Let's not forget the untold riches which await us in those newly claimed lands. Our coffers will be bursting at the seams. Your Majesty, can we really afford to take the risk of not pursuing this?"

Luis quickly chimed in.

"Your Majesty, if at this point we still haven't convinced you of the merits of funding this voyage, then, let me enlighten you as to what may happen in the future, if we don't. According to information that I have recently received, several nearby countries are discussing the funding of voyages to prove similar theories. One country in particular, England, is very close to obtaining the resources necessary to embark on a voyage. If Columbus's theories prove to be true, can we seriously risk having another country, like England, discovering the truth and reaping the rewards? By allowing them to do so, they will become a richer, more powerful nation for us to have to contend with."

The Queen sat on her throne, silent, contemplating what her closest advisors had just told her. After a moment, she rose from her throne. "Where is the Royal Secretary?"

"I am here, Your Majesty." She responded.

"Quickly, summon a messenger and command him to find Mr. Columbus and his friends and escort them back to the Great Hall." The Queen commanded.

"Your Royal Highness, I take it that you have reconsidered your decision?" Luis asked.

"Of course, thanks to my most trusted advisors. You have obviously saved me from making a terrible mistake. We agree, we cannot afford for the English to make this discovery. Columbus shall make this voyage, even if we must sell the Royal Jewels to fund it."

---------------------------------

As Bogg, Jeff and Columbus continued their journey home; they were stopped by the sound of hoof beats and shouts coming from behind them.

"Mr. Columbus! Mr. Columbus! Stop, I beg of you, please." The messenger yelled.

Columbus lifted his head and looked at the man.

Jeff looked curiously at his partner and whispered, "Bogg, I wonder who he is?"

"Obviously someone who knows Chris."

Overhearing the two's conversation, Columbus looked at them and exclaimed. "It's a messenger from the Royal Court!"

The messenger rode his horse up beside Columbus. "Sir, I have been sent by Her Majesty, the Queen, to bring all of you back to the Royal Court. Will you please come with me?"

Columbus, being somewhat baffled at Her Majesty's request, replied, "Do you know why she has summoned us back to the Hall?"

"No sir." The Messenger replied. "Her Majesty just commanded that I find you and escort you back to the Great Hall. I was given no other information."

"Well gentlemen, looks like we are going back to the Hall." Columbus said somewhat indifferently.

Heeding the Queen's request, the three followed the messenger back to the Royal Court. Once inside, they were met the Royal Secretary and Luis the Treasurer, who were standing outside the Great Hall waiting for them to arrive.

"Welcome back, gentlemen!" Luis exclaimed as he walked toward them. "I have good news for you all. After speaking with the Queen about your voyage, I and two other officials of the court have persuaded her to reconsider her decision."

"That's great!" Jeff exclaimed.

"Good work Luis." Bogg replied. "I thought it was pretty much over for Chris. How did you do it?"

"It was nothing more than a bit of gentle persuasion. We just explained the theories to her again as well as the what could happen if another country like England, proved his theories first."

Columbus stood in the midst of his colleagues stunned by this latest revelation.

"I just can't believe it! The voyage is actually going to happen."

The Royal Secretary went into the Great Hall to announce their arrival to the Queen. A few moments later, she returned.

"Gentlemen, Her Majesty will see you now."

Bogg, Jeff, Columbus and Luis walked into the Great Hall and again bowed before the Queen.

"Arise, gentlemen." She commanded.

"Mr. Columbus, we are very sorry to have put you and your friends through such a terrible ordeal. However, we have some good news to share with you all.'

'Yes, Your Majesty."

"After you left the Royal Court, three of our most trusted advisors came to us to further discuss your theories. After much discussion, they have convinced me that Spain and the Royal Court have no other choice than to pursue a voyage to prove your theories. Especially, since several of our allies are very close to embarking on voyages of their own. We cannot afford to allow them the opportunity to prove these theories to be true."

"With that being said, my dear Mr. Columbus, I do hereby authorize the funding of your voyage to prove your theories."

Columbus once again bowed before the Queen.

"I am honored by your most gracious decision and thank you most humbly."

Bogg and Jeff looked at each other with an overwhelming sense of relief.

"Mr. Columbus, we will grant you the funds to make your voyage along with three of our best ships from the Royal Fleet. We will have our Secretary draw up the papers for you to sign. In the meantime, please begin to make preparations for your journey. Good afternoon to you all."

"Thank you. Thank you very much, Your Majesty."

The two Voyagers, along with Columbus and Luis, bowed to the Queen and left the Great Hall. Once outside, the four congratulated each other on a job well done.

"I'm sorry, but, I must leave you now to continue your celebration on your own." Luis said with a sense of regret. "Unfortunately, I have much work to do to gather the needed funds for your voyage. It will take several months to make these funds available as well as to summon the three ships you will need."

"Thank you Luis, I understand fully." Columbus said as he embraced his friend. "Thank you once again for all your help my dear, dear friend."

"You are very welcome."

While Columbus and Luis were thanking each other, Bogg pulled out the omni and opened it.

"Well, kid, we have a green light!" Bogg said wryly. He closed the omni and clipped it to his belt."

"We have a green light now… but his mission is not over yet." Jeff said pointedly.

"So in other words we need to jump forward in time and check on his progress?"

"Yea Bogg, but how are we going to explain it to him?" Jeff asked.

Bogg shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, kid. What about…we've got to go to bedside of a dying relative or something?"

"A dying relative?" Jeff replied with a hint of sarcasm in his tone. "C'mon Bogg, can't you can come up with something better than that?"

"Hmmm. So you don't like my idea, huh?…Ok, then…YOU think of something." Bogg quipped.

Jeff stood there beside his partner, attempting to come up with the perfect explanation for their departure. After a few moments, Bogg broke the silence.

"Ok, time's up!" Bogg said with a smile. "We're sticking with my plan!"

"But Bogg?"

"No buts kiddo. You had your chance and ya blew it."

As Luis turned and walked away. Columbus approached the two Voyagers and interrupted them.

"Well gentlemen, we did it and I have you two to thank for it."

"No thanks are necessary." Bogg said.

"We must now begin the preparations for this voyage. I have some friends at the Rabida Monastery near the town of Palos who can help us with this undertaking. We will need to go there."

"Chris, I'm afraid Jeff and I will not be going with you."

"Oh, what's wrong?" Columbus asked as he now sensed something was amiss.

"We didn't want to worry you or to spoil this meeting today, but Jeff and I received a message late yesterday afternoon. We have been summoned home, to the bedside of a dying relative. We're both very sorry, but unfortunately, we will have to leave you for a time to attend to this matter."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Columbus said with regret.

Bogg continued with his explanation. "The journey there will take several weeks. Once we have completed our obligations, we'll be back.

A worried look came across Columbus' face. He put his arm on Bogg's shoulder.

"But will you be back in time for the voyage?" He asked.

"Don't worry, Chris, I promise Jeff and I will be back long before you set sail to help with the preparations."

"Mr. Bogg, I know you to be a man of your word. You go and tend to your family's needs." Columbus reassured. "I will make my way to the Monastery and begin the preparations. I look forward to seeing you both again in city of Palos."

Columbus turned to walk away and upon taking a step forward, stopped and looked back at his friends.

"Thank you…thank you both for all your help. Good luck and Godspeed on your journey, my friends."

"Thanks Chris. Good luck to you." Bogg replied.

As Columbus turned and walked away, the two Voyagers quickly headed for the exit. Once they had made their way past the guards at the main gate, the two ran toward the tree where their mules were tied. Without warning, Jeff grabbed his partner's arm and the two stopped in their tracks.

"Bogg?"

"What is it now?" He quipped.

"That was a good cover story you had back there." Jeff said. "I'm sorry I doubted you."

"It's history, kid. Don't beat yourself up over it. Besides, we've got more important things to think about now."

Bogg unclipped the omni from his belt and opened the lid.

"Where's our next stop?"

Jeff paused in thought. "He set sail for the new world on August 3rd 1492 from the port city of Palos, so I guess we need to get there a couple of weeks prior to that, say July 20th, 1492."

"Palos, July, 20th 1492 it is." Bogg said boldly. He adjusted the dials on the omni and closed the lid."

"Ready?" He asked.

"Ready!" Jeff replied.

Jeff took hold of Bogg's arm as he pressed the button and they were once again on their way.


	8. Preparations, Preparations!

****

_**VOYAGERS! **_**- The Voyager Chronicles  
****DISCOVERIES - BOOK 1  
****(The First New Adventure)  
****By DA Daugherty (VoyagersFan)  
****October 2006 (Revised 05/2009)  
****Previous disclaimers apply**

**Chapter 8 - PREPARATIONS, PREPARATIONS!**

Palos, a Spanish seaport located near the border of Spain and Portugal was for many years a quiet little fishing community. However, with the arrival of Columbus, this was soon about to change. With the town now becoming the staging point for Columbus' great expedition, there was a heightened sense of interest as well as pride and excitement in the air.

Within two weeks, the crazy explorer would complete the preparations for his journey and set sail for the New World. Unlike those weeks of preparations for his past voyages, these two weeks would be far from routine as he had come to expect. At this juncture, there were sinister forces at work both behind the scenes and in the shadows as he would soon realize. His voyage was being undermined, piece by piece and there was nothing he could do to stop it. That was until help finally arrived. With a green light on their omni, Bogg and Jeff left the confines of the Royal Court and arrived several months later in Palos. They came to a hard landing in a field on the outskirts of town.

Jeff stood up and extended a hand to Bogg. "I believe the omni has it in for us." Jeff said with a pained look.

"You know, it could have been worse. We could have landed in a river or for that matter on a big cactus." Bogg teased. "Or worse still, there's always that one pointy rock. I've landed on a few of those in my time as a Voyager. Are you ok?"

"Yea, nothing's broken." Jeff replied.

Bogg pulled out the omni. "Palos, July 20, 1492, and a red light! What gives here kid? He's got the funding for his voyage. History should be back on track."

"What…lemme see!" Jeff exclaimed as he pulled his partner's hand toward him. Another red light? At this rate, Columbus is never going to make it to discover the new world!"

"Don't give up kid! Lots of times I've had to jump around and fix multiple problems that were related a particular event in history."

"If you say so, Bogg."

"Yes, I say so, Jeff." Bogg mocked. "C'mon, we need to get going if we expect to find Chris before dark."

The two voyagers set off walking across the field. After a time, they came upon a narrow dirt road. Not knowing which way to turn, the two paused for a time, scratching their heads.

"So, where to now?" Jeff asked.

Bogg raised his hand, shading his eyes from the bright afternoon sun. As he peered off in one direction, he quickly noticed an old man on a wagon, headed down the road in the distance.

Bogg nudged his partner. "Hey, let's follow him."

The two Voyagers walked down the road following the old man on his wagon. After thirty minutes or so, they arrived inside the city. Confused as to which direction to go next, they again stopped for a moment to get their bearings.

"This is a pretty big city." Jeff said pointedly. "Which direction do we go to get to the docks?"

"I really don't know kid. " Bogg replied. "I guess we'll just have to ask someone to give us directions. Let's go this way."

The two continued their journey until they came upon a young man who was pruning a tree in front of his home.

"Excuse me sir." Bogg prompted.

"Can I help you gentlemen?" The young man replied as he turned to face them.

"We are trying to reach the seaport of Palos and seem to be lost at the moment. Could you tell us how to get to there from here?" Bogg asked.

"Of course sir, I would be happy to give you directions." He replied.

"If you continue walking up this street, you will come to a crossroads. There, you will turn left and continue walking for several minutes until you reach another street with a small market on the left corner. Turn left at that market and continue walking. This will take you directly to the docks."

"Thank you sir." Bogg said humbly. "May I ask you one more question?"

"Sure. " He said.

"We are looking for a man by the name of Columbus. Have you heard of him?" Bogg asked.

"Admiral Columbus! Yes sir, the whole city has heard of him!" The young man exclaimed. "Are you friends of his?"

"Yes." Bogg replied.

"He's the man who's preparing for a voyage to the other side of the world. He's been recruiting sailors from far and wide to work on those three ships he has at the docks."

"Well, we've come to help him prepare for the voyage." Bogg said. "Isn't that right, kiddo?"

Jeff nodded in agreement.

"Could I ask one favor of you both?" The young man asked.

"Sure." Bogg replied.

"When you see him, please give him my wishes for a safe journey."

"We will make sure he gets your message." Bogg replied. "Thanks again for your help."

Bogg and Jeff left the young man to tend to his pruning and continued walking toward the seaport. After a time, they finally reached the waterfront. The two stopped and surveyed the area to see if they could locate any signs of Columbus or his ships.

"Look, Bogg! Over there!" Jeff exclaimed as he pointed off in the distance to the largest of Columbus's three ships. "That must be the Santa Maria."

"Yea and those must be his other two ships over there to the right." Bogg said. "Where do you suppose Columbus will be?"

"My guess is he's on the Santa Maria. That was his flagship." Jeff replied.

"C'mon let's see if we can find him."

The two strolled along the long wooden dock until they reached the gangplank of the Santa Maria. Columbus was now standing on the main deck, supervising the loading of provisions and shouting out orders to his men.

Jeff pointed up to where Columbus now stood. "Bogg, there he is… It's Chris!"

"Yea, I see him kid."

Bogg yelled up to the crazy explorer. "Are you the captain of this ship sir?" He asked somewhat comically.

"No, sir, I am Admiral Columbus and just who might you…" Columbus stopped suddenly once he had recognized his two friends. "Why, it's Mr. Bogg and Mr. Jones!"

"Permission to come aboard, Admiral, sir?" Bogg asked as he saluted.

"Get up here the pair of you." Columbus yelled as he waived his arm. "We have much catching up to do."

The two sauntered up the gangplank to the deck of the Santa Maria. Columbus, who was once again pleased to see his two friends, made his way over and embraced the two of them.

"I am delighted the two of you have returned. I was beginning to wonder if you were going to be back in time to see us set sail."

"Chris, we're sorry, but our trip took a little bit longer than we expected." Bogg said apologetically. "The important thing is that we are here now and ready to lend a hand. So…tell us…What has happened since we left you at the Royal Court?"

"Well, after we parted company at the Royal Court, I set off to the Rabida Monastery here in Palos to see some old friends and ask for their help to plan this voyage. I remained here until just before April 14th. At that time, Her Majesty summoned me back to the Royal Court to sign the official papers and collect the funds I needed. After that, I returned here to continue with the preparations."

"You've been busy since we left." Jeff said in a state of awe.

"You are correct my young friend" Columbus said. "Up until about a month ago, we have been gathering provisions and recruiting sailors for the voyage. Once the three ships arrived, we have spent the remainder of our time loading those provisions and making repairs."

"Chris, these are some good looking ships you have." Bogg said.

"Yes, they are good ships, but they have taken a pounding. They were used during the war, and thus is the reason for their state of disrepair. Since their arrival, we have spent much time working on them to make them seaworthy and we are nowhere near finished yet."

Jeff cast an eye over the ship. "Looks like you've done a great job so far."

"Thank you my young friend." Columbus replied.

"One question…Chris. When did you get promoted to Admiral?" Bogg asked, his curiosity getting the best of him.

"That's a long story, Mr. Bogg, but I'll make it brief. Her Majesty made me an Admiral not too long after I signed the official papers. She wanted me to be in full command of the voyage as well as all three ships.

Quickly, Columbus' demeanor changed as he took a step closer to his friends.

"Gentlemen, I hate to cut short this joyous occasion, but I have a rather important matter I feel I must discuss with you." Columbus whispered.

"Sure Chris… Go ahead… We're listening." Bogg replied.

"Mr. Bogg, Mr. Jones. This is a matter which must be spoken about in private. Would you come with me to my quarters?" Columbus asked.

"Sure Chris." Bogg replied as he turned to his partner, with a bewildered look upon his face.

"I wonder what this is all about?" Bogg whispered.

"I don't know. Whatever it is, it sounds pretty serious." Jeff whispered.

The three followed Columbus to the door to his quarters and went inside.

"Please my friends do sit down and make yourselves comfortable. Would you gentlemen care for some refreshment?" Columbus asked graciously.

"Water would be fine." Bogg replied.

Columbus went over to a small wooden cabinet and retrieved three goblets and two large decanters. He filled two of the goblets with water from one of the decanters and handed them to Bogg and Jeff. The last goblet he filled with rum for himself. Picking up the goblet, he walked over to his chair and sat down.

Columbus took a sip from his goblet and breathed deeply before he began to speak.

"Gentlemen, I believe I have a problem. " Columbus said, somewhat unnerved by the thought. "Let's see now, where should I begin…"

Bogg interrupted. "At the beginning…that's always a good place to start."

"Mr. Bogg, you are as always correct. Well, it started not too long after the ships arrived here at the dock. As we began our work to make them seaworthy, strange things began to occur."

"What do you mean by strange?" Jeff asked.

"I can't quite put my finger on it." Columbus replied to his young friend. "It just seemed that things were being, shall we say, undone."

"Undone?" Bogg asked as he craned his neck. "What was being undone?"

"Well, we would work diligently on the three ships to make repairs to them and a week or so after the repairs were finished, we would have to make the same repairs again. For example, the rudder of this ship had partly broken off by the time it made it to the dock. A week or so after it arrived, I supervised a group of men who took the broken rudder off, repaired it and then reinstalled it. It was working perfectly after the repairs, then several days later, it was broken again."

"Hmmm… Maybe, the repairs just didn't hold." Bogg said as he attempted to come up with an explanation.

"My dear friends, one might come to that conclusion, if I hadn't seen the work for with mine own eyes. However, I stood and watched as this rudder was removed, repaired and then reinstalled. The repairs were done correctly and it was in perfect condition when the men finished reinstalling it."

"So you think it was sabotage?" Bogg asked.

"At the time, no, I really didn't think so. However, the number of these incidents hasm continued to increase. At first, they only occurred on this ship, but after a time, bizarre things started happening on the Nina and Pinta as well."

"Sounds to me like you have a saboteur aboard." Bogg said as he rubbed his chin. "Do you know who would want to sabotage your voyage, Chris?"

"No, Mr. Bogg, I don't. I have only been in this country for a year or so. I have made no enemies here that I am aware of."

"What about the crew?" Bogg asked. "Have you checked out their credentials?"

"Yes, my first officer, Carlos has checked and verified the credentials of all the crew we have recruited to date. They all checked out ok."

Columbus sighed as he leaned forward in his chair. "I am at the end of my rope here gentlemen. I cannot understand who would want to stop me from making this voyage. The problem is, I cannot determine who is doing it. You both know, I can't afford to set sail and run the risk of failure due to the actions of some scoundrel."

"Don't upset yourself Chris." Bogg said reassuringly. "The way I see it, you need two new crewmembers to come aboard not only to help you finish the preparations, but to get close enough to find out who is working against you."

"But, who could I trust with such an undertaking?" Columbus asked as the edges of his lips curled upward.

"You're looking at them. Jeff and I will do it. We came back to help you and that's what we are going to do." Bogg said boldly.

"Mr. Bogg, I have to say you have come up with an excellent idea."

Bogg began to toot his own horn. "Fortunately for you, when it comes to ships, I'm an old hand at it. Believe it or not, I was a sailor myself for many, many years."

Upon hearing his partner's last statements, Jeff cleared his throat as he rolled his eyes and took a sip of water from his glass. He knew Bogg had purposely left out a few small details about his years of being a so-called sailor. In response to his partner's subtle hint, he turned to Jeff and winked at him to play along.

"You were?" Columbus asked, now taken aback by Bogg's boasting. "You never told me this."

"Well, I don't really like to talk about those days. " Bogg replied.

Jeff glanced at his partner. "Uhh… Bogg…Have you forgotten something? How is a thirteen year old kid going to help with the preparations?"

"The boy has a point, Mr. Bogg." Columbus concurred. "He's a little bit young to be lifting crates and hoisting sails."

"Hmmmm…" Bogg paused in thought… "I've got it! The commander of a ship normally has a cabin boy to attend to his needs. Well, Jeff can be your cabin boy!"

"You are just full of ideas today, Mr. Bogg. While you are keeping an eye on the crew out on deck, he can do the same below deck as well and no one will be the wiser." Columbus replied.

"That's great! Just great!" Jeff ranted with a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "I'm a voyager one minute and a cabin boy the next. What a demotion!"

Bogg, after hearing this was now a little disappointed with his young partner. He pushed himself back from the table and stood up.

"Chris, would you excuse us for a moment. I need to have a little talk with my young companion here. C'mon kid." Bogg grabbed Jeff by the nape of the neck and took him over to the opposite side of the room and got down on one knee in front of him.

"Kid, what's the problem?" Bogg whispered. "I thought you wanted to see this mission through."

"I do Bogg, really, I do." he said. "It's just… well…"

Bogg reminded his partner of their little chat they had had earlier in their mission.

"C'mon Jeff, remember what we talked about previously. We are supposed to be open and honest with each other."

"It's just…I'm scared Bogg!" Jeff confessed.

"What's there to be scared of?" Bogg whispered as he over emphasized his words.

"Bogg, we are going undercover." Jeff replied, stating the obvious. "Do you not realize how dangerous this could be? I'm afraid something bad will happen to you."

"Jeff, you know we have to do this. Otherwise, Chris may never make his voyage."

Bogg put his hand on the kid's shoulder as he attempted to dissuade his fears. "Don't worry about me, kid. I will be ok. You just remember. I will always be there for you any time you need me. You and me, we are stuck together like glue. We're Voyagers and there's no separating us, ok?"

"Ok, Bogg." Jeff agreed reluctantly.

Bogg stood up with his partner and they walked back over to where Columbus was sitting.

"Jeff, you stay here with Columbus and do what you can to help him. Keep an eye on things, especially anything that looks odd or strange. I will go out on deck and help with the preparations. I'll be back for you later."

"Bogg, whatever you do, be careful." Jeff urged with a concerned tone.

"Don't worry kid!" He reassured. "Remember, I'm an old hand at this."

Bogg left the admiral's quarters and began to stroll around the deck, observing the actions of the crew. After a time, he met up with two members of the crew who were loading crates of supplies into the hold of the ship. With such a horde of supplies awaiting their eventual stowage into the hold, he rolled up his sleeves and began to assist them in their endeavors. Blending in with the rest of the crew, this was a perfect opportunity to observe their behavior and actions, hoping for some clue to surface which would lead him to the saboteur. After several hours of hard labor, shifting what seemed like an unending plethora of supply crates, Bogg decided to sit down on one and rest.

As he sat there he began to ponder the current dilemma that faced them all. He knew he and Jeff had to find the person responsible for undermining this mission. "But how?" he thought to himself. "Who could this person be? What was his motive? Obviously this rotten scoundrel had something against Columbus. But why was he here now? What did he hope to accomplish?" The questions kept on coming but the answers were nowhere to be found.

For a moment, he set aside these questions and began to look to his past for some answers. He recalled with vivid clarity from his days as a pirate the numerous methods employed to disrupt the operations of a ship. In every case, the person responsible was always one who hid in the shadows and had complete access to all areas of the ship. He now realized in order to solve this mystery he would have to go beyond just mere observation. Some investigative work was now in order.

Bogg jumped to his feet. He decided to begin his investigation by inspecting several key areas he had thought about. First on his list was the ship's main rigging. After walking over to the main mast, he began the long climb to the top. During his ascent, he paused at various points to more closely inspect the various ropes and pulleys which normally supported the mass of the sails.

After some time he had finally reached the top of the mast. With his inspection finished and nothing found to be out of the ordinary, he proceeded back down onto the deck.

Next his investigation would lead him to the sail lockers to examine the condition of the ship's sails. He made his way over to the first locker and slowly lifted its lid. After examining its contents and finding nothing out of the ordinary, he closed the lid and proceeded to the next one. Arriving at the next locker, he couldn't help but notice the word "Mainsel," carved rather haphazardly on the top of the lid. It was the locker where the ship's main sail was stored. Bogg, with a smile on his face at this point, nodded and then slowly lifted the lid to take a peek inside. Much to his surprise, what he saw next left him at the very least, taken aback if not completely shocked. The sail which in most cases would be neatly folded and stowed away had been slashed to shreds. For all intents and purposes it was ruined. He closed this locker and continued to examine the remaining ones. Oddly enough, the remaining lockers had not been disturbed.

Bogg continued to snoop about the ship, looking for any other signs of unusual activity. As he did so, several hours passed and before he realized, nightfall was fast approaching. Feeling great fatigue from all his efforts, Bogg decided it was time to find Jeff and get something to eat. First on his list was the Admiral's quarters. He quickly walked over to the door and went inside. Upon entering the room, he found Jeff and Columbus sitting at a table going over some supply lists.

"Bogg!" Jeff exclaimed as he looked up and noticed his partner.

"Kid. How's it going here?" Bogg asked.

Columbus put down his quill and raised his head. "Mr. Bogg? Are you ok? I pray that you have not overtaxed yourself today."

"I'm ok Chris." Bogg replied. "A bit tired, but nonetheless ok. A little hard work never hurt anyone."

"Mr. Bogg, I agree." Columbus said with a hint of humor in his voice. "A little hard work from time to time can do any one a great deal of good, but, you must not over do it. That's what the crew is for. As the Commander of this expedition, please do not put me in a position to have to again remind you of that fact."

Bogg looked at the crazy explorer, almost dumbfounded by his statements.

"Chris…umm, I mean sir…" Bogg uttered as he attempted to respond. "I understand sir."

"Good!" Columbus acknowledged. "Mr. Bogg, your partner and I have just been going over the supply manifests for the three ships to see if there is anything we have omitted. It looks as if we have everything we will need for this voyage."

"That's good news Chris, but, unfortunately I've got some equally bad news." Bogg said with some disappointment. "I have kept an eye out for anything unusual all afternoon, and had not found anything out of the ordinary, until, well…"

"What did you find, Mr. Bogg?" Columbus asked.

"About an hour ago, I decided to have a look around the ship. In doing so, I examined the contents of the sail lockers. All was ok until I opened the second locker where the main sail is stored. When I opened it, I found the sail had been slashed to pieces with a knife."

"The main sail destroyed?" Columbus asked in disbelief. "But who?"

"Chris, I don't know who did it." Bogg explained. "What's so odd about this is, I've seen no one near those lockers all afternoon."

Columbus took a sip from his goblet. "You see what I mean. I just can't understand who could be doing this. I will have the first mate check that sail and have it replaced in the morning. Mr. Bogg and Mr. Jones, I really do appreciate the work you have done for me today. You both look exhausted, so why don't you go have something to eat and get a good night's rest?"

"Thanks Chris. That's an excellent idea." Bogg acknowledged as he got to his feet. "C'mon Jeff, let's get something to eat. Chris, we will be back in the morning. Good evening to you."

"Good evening to the both of you."

Columbus continued working for a while longer and then just before sunset, decided to call it a day. He put away his work and left the Santa Maria for his apartment. Not too far away, Bogg and Jeff had found a little inn where they ate dinner and turned in for the night.

As midnight approached, almost everyone in the small town of Palos, including Columbus, Bogg and Jeff were resting comfortably in their beds. The only exception was a tall man with wisps of long hair, who was dressed in dark clothing and presently lurking around the docks. Unobserved by anyone at the time, this mysterious person crept up to the Santa Maria, keeping himself in the shadows and slowly made his way up the gangplank.

In the darkness, with only the light of the moon to guide him, he began to wander around on deck, obviously searching for something. He continued to do this for a time, and then suddenly stopped as he reached the main mast of the ship. After looking around to see if he was being observed, he slowly began to climb up the mast. Halfway up, he paused to pull out a large knife he had stashed down the back of his pants and started sawing into several of the huge, tar encrusted ropes which held up the main rigging. While he continued to cut into the ropes, he let out an evil laugh.

"Hee,hee,hee,hee. This crazy explorer won't be going anywhere, anytime soon. Nor will he have the chance to discover the New World. Hee,hee,hee,hee. I will see to that!"

Once he had left only a small portion of each of the ropes still intact, he quickly climbed back down onto the deck. For a moment, he paused, again checking to make sure he was not being watched. At that point, he ran toward the bow of the ship and dove off into the water.


	9. The Mark of a Saboteur

****

_**VOYAGERS! **_**- The Voyager Chronicles  
****DISCOVERIES - BOOK 1  
****(The First New Adventure)  
****By DA Daugherty (VoyagersFan)  
****October 2006 (Revised 05/2009)  
****Previous disclaimers apply**

**Chapter 9 - THE MARK OF A SABOTEUR**

The next day Bogg and Jeff went back at the Santa Maria to continue assisting Columbus and his crew with the preparations. Jeff went off to Columbus's quarters to help him with his work while Bogg assisted the other crewmen with the repairs and loading of provisions. As Bogg was carrying some boxes of provisions to the cargo hold, the first mate attempted to get his attention.

"Mr. Bogg!"

Bogg put down his load before turning to him to respond.

"Yea, I'm Bogg!" He shouted. Being somewhat curious, Bogg walked over to him.

"Mr. Bogg, I am Carlos the first mate. Admiral Columbus sent me to find you."

Bogg reached over to him and locked arms in a gesture of friendship. "Nice to meet you sir!" He replied. "Good grip too. An obvious sign of a seaman."

"Admiral Columbus has told me a great deal about you and your partner Jeff. I must say though, he was quite surprised when you informed him of your many years of experience as a sailor. I must confess, I was skeptical about his claims up until yesterday. After an hour or so observing your work, I said to myself, 'he's not just any old green hand but an experienced sea-faring bloke if ever I saw one.'" Carlos said with a smile.

"A sea-faring bloke!" Bogg exclaimed as he began to laugh. "I've been called many things in my days aboard ship, but I don't recall ever being called a bloke."

Carlos laughed. "Please, it was meant as a compliment. Bogg, you just don't know how grateful I am to have you aboard ship. You are the first person with real experience that I have come across thus far. Most of those who come aboard have very little sailing experience. We must train all of them from scratch.

"Really? I figured there would be plenty of seamen who would jump at a chance to take part in a voyage like this one." Bogg replied.

"Unfortunately, that's not the case. So we are now left with recruiting any able-bodied person who is willing to come aboard. There are days, when I wonder if we are ever going to set sail."

"It will happen." Bogg said with some enthusiasm. "It takes strength and courage to get to where you are now. Remember, the title of first mate wasn't just handed to you. You earned it based on your success and you will succeed here."

"Thank you for your kind words. Mr. Bogg. I have to say with your wisdom, your take charge manner and tremendous work ethic, you must have been a captain or first mate during your days as a sailor." Carlos replied.

"Thank you. I was just a plain old hard-working bloke of a sailor." Bogg said with a laugh.

"I almost forgot… Admiral Columbus told me about the sail you found yesterday. I have acquired a replacement for it, but we really need to hoist it up to make sure it will work. Can I enlist your help with this?"

"Sure."

Carlos looked over and yelled at two crewmen standing on the dock. "Hey, you two! Grab that sail and bring it aboard. We are going to check it out."

Bogg and the other two crewmen brought the new sail aboard and unwrapped it. Once the sail was unfolded, the commenced to lower the rigging so they could attach it. After it was securely fastened, Bogg got to his feet.

"Is it secured properly?" Carlos asked.

"Yes, it's secured." The crewmen echoed.

Bogg turned to the first mate. "I guess we are ready to hoist it into place."

"Yes, we're ready." The second crewman acknowledged.

Bogg and the two crewmen grabbed hold of the ropes and began pulling with all their might. The sail began to rise slowly up the mast. About half way up, one of the ropes snapped from the weight. Suddenly, the sail and support began to fall.

"Look out!" The first crewman shouted, while shoving Bogg and the second crewman out of harm's way.

At that moment, the sail and support crashed loudly onto the deck.

"What happened?" Carlos asked. "Are you gentlemen alright?"

"We're ok sir." The first crewman replied. "A little bit more and these two would have been goners."

"I don't know what happened." Bogg replied. "All was going well, and then the ropes broke." He pointed to the first crewman. "If it hadn't been for his quick thinking, the two of us would have been crushed."

Leaving the two crewmen, Bogg and Carlos walked over to examine the sail and rigging which had landed on the deck Bogg got down on one knee as he picked up one of the broken ropes and began to examine it closely.

"This rope has been cut!" Bogg exclaimed. He dropped the rope, then picked up another one and examined it as well. "And so has this one..."

"Cut?" Carlos said, now perplexed. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. I know what rope looks like when it's been cut and these ropes have definitely been cut."

"Who could have done this? And why?" Carlos asked.

"I don't know. But, I can tell you this, I climbed that mast yesterday and checked out all of the rigging and there was nothing wrong with it."

"Yes, I remember seeing you. I was wondering what you were doing climbing that mast yesterday." Carlos said curiously.

By this time, Columbus and Jeff had heard all the noise and came running from the admiral's quarters. They noticed the sail and rigging lying on the deck as they walked over and stood beside the two.

"Bogg, what happened? Are you ok?" Jeff asked.

Bogg paused for a moment, staring down at the mess on the deck. He knew that this had been a close call for him and if it hadn't been for one of the crew, he would have been seriously hurt. However, he could not bring himself to tell Jeff what had actually happened for fear of frightening the kid.

"More sabotage from the looks of it…kid." Bogg responded in a blasé fashion. "Other than that, I'm fine."

Carlos turned to Columbus. "Admiral, sir, we were attempting to hoist the new replacement sail into position to test it out, when the ropes broke. "

"The ropes broke? How?" Columbus asked.

Bogg interrupted. "Chris, they didn't break, they were cut. As I told the first mate, I climbed that mast yesterday and checked out all of the rigging. All of the ropes were intact when I examined them."

"Looks as if our saboteur has been at it again." Columbus said, stating the obvious.

Jeff chimed in. "He must have been here sometime during the night."

Columbus looked at Bogg and Jeff. "What a scoundrel!!! How are we supposed to catch him if he sneaks aboard ship during the night? I can't work on board all day and stay up all night waiting for him."

"Well, I'll tell you how. If he decides to return tonight to do some more damage…" Bogg grabbed hold of Jeff's shoulder. "We'll be waiting for him. Right, kid?"

Upon hearing Bogg's response, Jeff was taken totally by surprise. "Right? Yea! Right Bogg!"

"Jeff, why don't you and Chris go back inside and continue with your work." Bogg urged as he winked at his partner. "We will clean up this mess and start repairing the damage."

Columbus and Jeff walked back to the admiral's quarters and went inside. Bogg, Carlos and the two crewmen proceeded with their task of cleaning up and repairing the extensive damage left behind by the saboteur. Their work continued uninterrupted throughout the remainder of the morning and well into the evening.

As darkness approached, Jeff left the admiral's quarters to find his partner. He walked around on deck until he finally noticed him standing at the stern, looking out over the ocean. He quickly ran toward him.

"Bogg?" Jeff prompted. "It's getting dark out. Shouldn't you call it a day?"

"Yea, I guess so, kid. With all this work that we've been doing today, I have lost all track of time. We need to get something to eat, so we can get back here in time to greet our uninvited guest."

"Guest? More like an intruder." Jeff said with a chuckle.

"Right kid. Let's go!"

The two left the ship to find something to eat. A half-hour later, they returned to hash out a plan for catching their guest in action, later that evening.

"First, we need a place to hide, somewhere with an obstructed view of our guest." Bogg said. He scanned the area, looking for an appropriate location. "Got it!, You go inside the admiral's quarters and keep an eye on the main deck through the window."

"Bogg, why do I have to be in the admiral's quarters?" Jeff asked with a hint of disappointment in his voice. "I want to be on deck with you. Besides, I'll be missing all the action."

Bogg nodded and lowered his brow. "Listen Jeff! The admiral's quarters is the safest place for you to be and besides, you are not just going to sit idly by and twiddle your thumbs while I do all the work. No sir, you are very much part of this plan."

He raised his hand and pointed to some crates stacked near the edge of the deck.

"I will be hiding over there behind those. That way, I will be able to see the entire deck from there as well as the entrance to the admiral's quarters. Inside the admiral's quarters, you will be able to see the opposite end of the ship from the window."

"Ok you wanted a piece of the action, well here it is." Bogg said boldly.

"Here's the plan. When our guest arrives, I want you to make some noise."

"What kind of noise?" Jeff asked.

"I don't know kid." Bogg quipped. "Use your imagination. Slam the door or something. We need something to divert his attention and direct him to the admiral's quarters."

Bogg continued with his explanation. "After that, I want you to run and hide. The noise you make should get his attention and cause him to turn and head in your direction."

"Where should I hide, Bogg?" Jeff asked innocently. "There's no closets or cupboards in there."

"Just find someplace and don't make a sound. Hide under the table if you have to." Bogg whispered. "Just don't let him see you, ok!"

"Got it!" Jeff acknowledged.

"Once he turns around, I'll run up behind him and tackle him to the ground." Bogg said boldly. "How's that for a plan, kid?"

Jeff grimaced. "There's only one problem that I see at the moment."

"What's that?" Bogg asked.

"What happens, if he has a weapon, say, like a knife?"

Jeff's question had caught him totally off-guard. He paused for a moment before responding.

"Ok, right. If it comes to that, I'll just have to improvise."

"Improvise!!!" Jeff exclaimed. "You could get yourself hurt or even killed!!"

Bogg knew Jeff was right. He knew all too well this was a dangerous plan. He also knew there was a high probability their guest would come aboard armed. But it had to be done. The saboteur had to be caught, no matter what happened.

Bogg looked at his partner and attempted to help him overcome his anxiety.

"Kid, remember the story I told you back on the beach about being a pirate? Remember I said that I had to learn how live aboard ship without getting a knife in the back?"

"Yea, Bogg."

"Well, compared to that situation, this is a piece of cake." Bogg said with a smile. "So don't worry, I'll be ok. Now c'mon, let's get to work."

Bogg escorted Jeff over to the admiral's quarters. He went inside first to make sure the room was secure and then motioned to his partner to follow him.

"Ok, kid. Everything looks ok here. You understand what you need to do, right?" Bogg asked.

"Yea, the moment I see our guest, I slam the door shut and hide under the table."

"I will be right over there behind those crates looking right at you." Bogg reassured. "If something happens, just yell and I'll come running."

"Don't worry. If anything bad happens, you'll be able to hear me yelling at the Royal Court." Jeff said with a chuckle.

Bogg left his partner standing just inside the admiral's quarters peering out the window. With Jeff now in place, he walked over and crouched behind the crates as he began to observe the deck, inconspicuously.

Several hours passed. Bogg and Jeff continued to man their posts, waiting for that long-overdue visit from their guest. When they had all but given up on his return, suddenly, they heard the sound of footsteps coming from the dock below.

Their guest had arrived just as they had expected. He continued to walk slowly up the dock to the ship and began to climb the gangplank. Once aboard, he walked around the ship in a curious fashion as if he were searching for something that he had lost.

The two Voyagers immediately noticed their guest and put their plan into action. Jeff walked quietly over to the door and slammed it shut with all his might before taking up position under the table.

Just as they had anticipated, their guest heard the noise and quickly turned to investigate. As he cautiously made his way toward the door, Bogg emerged from his post, ran up behind him and tackled him to the ground. The two wrestled with one another for several moments before the intruder stood up and attempted to flee.

Bogg quickly reached out and grabbed the intruder by the ankle, forcing him to fall flat on his face. He jumped on top of him again trying with all his might to subdue him. Struggling fiercely to get away, the intruder took a swing at Bogg and connected with his jaw. The intruder swung again, but missed as Bogg returned the favor and struck him sharply. They continued to tussle about on the deck until the intruder had put Bogg in a rather awkward position with his body halfway over the deck railing. Bogg struggled with all his might to keep from falling overboard and finally reversed the situation. The intruder struggled and squirmed in an attempt to again free himself from Bogg's clutches, but Bogg had a firm grip on him. As they continued their battle, the moon came out from behind a cloud and shined upon the intruder's face. For a moment, the bout ceased as Bogg got a glimpse of him. At this point, the intruder broke free and jumped overboard.

By this time, Jeff came out of the admiral's quarters and walked up behind Bogg.

"Bogg, where is he?" Jeff asked.

Bogg, still being in an aggressive state of mind resulting from his bout with the saboteur, was startled by Jeff's appearance. Instinctively, he turned around and almost punched his young partner. Jeff saw what was about to come his way and quickly ducked. Once Bogg had recognized it was his partner, he pulled back and stopped short of striking him.

"Bogg!" Jeff yelled. "It's me, Jeff. I'm not the enemy here!"

"Oh, kid, it's just you. Sorry about that. I thought I told you to stay in the admiral's quarters."

"I know Bogg. I just wanted to make sure you were ok."

"I'm ok." Bogg said as he tried to get his breath. "I'm just a little beat at the moment."

Jeff put his arm around his partner. "You could use some rest after that struggle. Why don't we go inside and sit down?"

Bogg nodded in agreement. With Jeff's assistance, he dragged himself through the door and then collapsed onto a chair inside.

Jeff went over to the admiral's drink cabinet, poured a glass of water and handed it to his partner. "Here, Bogg, drink this."

"Thanks, kid." He took the glass from Jeff and began to gulp down its contents.

"I take it our so-called guest got away."

"Yea, kid, he got away. But not without a good fight." Bogg rubbed his sore jaw where the intruder had slugged him. "The guy packs a mean punch!"

"I can tell." Jeff agreed as he closely examined his partner's jaw. "That's gonna hurt for a while."

"Did you see who he was?" Jeff asked.

"I really could not see a whole lot of him, because he was dressed in dark clothing. However, our efforts here have not gone in vain. I got a glimpse of his face in the moonlight. Mind you, it was a glimpse, but that's about it."

"Did you recognize him?" Jeff asked.

"His face was familiar, but I really don't know who he was." Bogg said as he took a deep breath.

"Do you think he'll be back?" Jeff asked.

"I don't believe he will bother us again tonight." Bogg assured. "Why don't we head home and get some rest. Besides, we've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

"Bogg, for what it's worth, good job! I'm proud of you!" Jeff said as he patted Bogg on the back.

"Thanks, kid. The same back at you! " Bogg stood up and put his arm around Jeff. "Let's go home kid."

The two left the ship and went back to the inn to get some well deserved rest.


	10. Aftermath

****

_**VOYAGERS! **_**- The Voyager Chronicles  
****DISCOVERIES - BOOK 1  
****(The First New Adventure)  
****By DA Daugherty (VoyagersFan)  
****October 2006 (Revised 05/2009)  
****Previous disclaimers apply**

**Chapter 10 - AFTERMATH**

It was the dawning of a new day in Palos. The sun had been up for a couple of hours and a cool breeze was now tickling the waters of the ocean. Bogg and Jeff, well rested after their night of extreme excitement, arrived at the Santa Maria. Columbus was standing on deck talking with Carlos when the two came walking up the gangplank.

"Good morning, Gentlemen." Columbus said.

"Good morning, Chris" The two replied in unison.

As Bogg walked up and stood beside them, Carlos immediately noticed the bruises on Bogg's face and jaw.

"What in blazes happened to you?" Carlos asked.

"Oh my!" Columbus exclaimed as he clutched his chin, "Mr. Bogg, what happened to you?"

"It's a long story, but, our uninvited guest paid us another visit last night." He explained.

Jeff smiled as he was extremely proud of his partner's efforts. "Yea. Bogg almost captured him, but the guy managed to get away."

"Looks like he came back last night to continue his fit of destruction." Bogg said wryly. "Once he came aboard, we watched as he walked around obviously searching for the target of his next bit of sabotage. However, he didn't count on the two of us being there to catch him in the act."

"How were you able to subdue this intruder?" Columbus asked.

"The two of us came up with a plan. I crouched behind those crates over there and Jeff here, hid inside your quarters. Once he was aboard, Jeff created a little diversion, by slamming the door to your quarters. This allowed me to jump him from behind and bring him down. At that point, I struggled with him for several minutes and then he took a swing at me. We continued to struggle for a while longer until he finally broke loose and dove off the ship."

"Did you get a good look at him?" Columbus asked his friend.

"It was quite dark at the time and he was dressed in dark clothing, so I could not see much of him. Before he dove off the ship, I did manage to catch a glimpse of his face in the moonlight."

"Was he familiar to you?" Carlos asked.

Carlos' question had triggered the one unsettling image that had haunted Bogg throughout the night. It was an image burned into his mind and now matter how hard he tried, he could not rid himself of it. He paused for a moment, in a trance-like state as his mind attempted to solve the riddle. He couldn't help but feel that he had met this person before. Was he a member of the crew? Alas, no! He had met all of Columbus' crew. But, who was he? After a few moments, Bogg was brought back to reality.

Jeff walked up grabbed hold of Bogg's arm. "Bogg! Are you ok?"

Stunned by Jeff's grip on him, Bogg jerked suddenly and replied, "Oh! Sorry about that. I'm ok. I was just thinking again about last night."

"Carlos, if you mean was he a member of the crew, the answer is no!" Bogg said staunchly. "Matter of fact, I really do not know who he was."

Columbus put his hand on Bogg's shoulder. "That's ok Mr. Bogg. You did your best, and most importantly you stopped him from doing any more harm."

Bogg took a deep breath and sighed. "Thank you Chris."

"Besides, his nights of sneaking aboard ship and doing damage, are for the most part, over." Columbus said boldly. "Carlos and I have instituted a round the clock guard on all three ships beginning tonight. It will be very difficult for him to come aboard now."

Bogg thought to himself, "I wouldn't be too sure about that."

"Carlos!" Columbus barked.

"Yes, sir!"

"Let's go over to the Pinta and survey the supplies in the cargo hold." Columbus said.

"Gentlemen, if you will excuse us."

Carlos and Columbus turned away and began their walk over to the Pinta leaving Bogg and Jeff behind on the deck. Without saying a word, Bogg walked over to a crate that was sitting near the deck railing and sat down. He sat there for a moment staring out into the distance before Jeff made his way over to him.

"Bogg. What's wrong?" he asked. "You have been acting strange all morning."

"I've had a lot on my mind since last night." He confessed.

Jeff sensed something was troubling Bogg. He knew after listening to his partner's conversation with Columbus and Carlos, Bogg was holding back some piece of information.

"I know you didn't sleep too well last night." Jeff said softly with some concern. "You tossed and turned all night long."

"I know." Bogg replied in a sullen tone.

Jeff tried to lift his partner's spirits by injecting some humor into the conversation.

"And then there was your loud snoring…" Jeff said with a chuckle. "At one point, I thought you were going to wake everyone in the inn."

His partner did not respond. He continued to sit there staring off into the distance. Once again, he was deep in thought and unaware of what Jeff had just said.

Jeff shook Bogg's arm. "Bogg! What's wrong?" He exclaimed. "C'mon, talk to me!"

"Okay, kid. I didn't mean to upset you." Bogg said as he reached over and put his arm around his partner.

"Talk to me Bogg." Jeff repeated with a little less bravado. "I know you are holding back something about last night."

"Kid, remember when I told you I got a glimpse of the saboteur's face?" He asked.

"Yes, I remember."

"Well, the image of that man's face has been on my mind all night long. That face…I have seen it before, but I cannot remember where."

Bogg, grabbed the omni from his belt, opened it and held it up in front of his partner. "If I could identify that man…we would be one step closer to changing this light to green."

"Quit being so hard on yourself." Jeff admonished. "We will find out who this guy is eventually. He's bound to slip up sometime. You remember when you were in Voyager school?"

"Yea, kid. What's that got to do with this?" Bogg replied sarcastically.

"Hear me out, Bogg." Jeff said sternly. "Remember when you had to take a test and you got to that one question that you just couldn't remember the answer to?"

"Yea, I remember."

"And what did you do?" Jeff asked.

"Well, I would think about it a while and if I couldn't figure out the answer, I would skip it and come back to it later."

"When you eventually came back to it, what happened?" Jeff asked pointedly.

"I remembered the answer. "

"Bingo!" Jeff exclaimed. "This situation is like that test question. You need to stop thinking about this man's face for a while, let your brain rest and then come back to it later."

"So in other words, you think I should just let it go for a while." Bogg said.

"Yea, Bogg. Just let it go." Jeff urged. "The answer will come to you, but in its own time."

Bogg looked at his partner and smiled. "Kid…you're the greatest, no matter what anyone else says."

"I know." Jeff agreed as he put on a cheesy grin.

"Kid, I guess we need to get to work if we are ever going to finish this mission. Why don't you go inside and see what you can do for Chris. In the meantime, I'll go search for the rest of the crew and continue with the work here on deck. Whatever you do…keep your eyes peeled! I'll see you later this afternoon. Ok."

"Catch y'a later, Bogg!!"

The two Voyagers stood up and went their separate ways. Jeff made his way over to the admiral's quarters while Bogg started looking for the crewmen he had been working with the day before.

As the day passed, Bogg and the crew continued with their tasks, while Jeff and Columbus worked out the details of the voyage in the admiral's quarters. At this point, the embarkation was now less than a week away. There was still much to do as well as many repairs that remained unfinished on each of the three ships. Of all the tasks that needed to be completed, there was still a very important one that remained for Bogg and Jeff. They had to find and put a stop to the saboteur. Little did the two realize at the time, they were about to come face to face with their foe.

Out on the dock, unknown to anyone aboard ship at the time, the saboteur was now observing them and making preparations for his next move. He was determined to stop this voyage, one way or another and since the ships were now being guarded at night, he knew a new plan of attack was in order.

Dressed as one of the crew and carrying a small crate on his shoulder, he made his way aboard the Santa Maria. After strolling around on deck for a while, he put down his crate and made his way over and joined a group of crewmen who were making repairs to the ship.


	11. Turning Up the Heat

****

_**VOYAGERS! **_**- The Voyager Chronicles  
****DISCOVERIES - BOOK 1  
****(The First New Adventure)  
****By DA Daugherty (VoyagersFan)  
****October 2006 (Revised 05/2009)  
****Previous disclaimers apply**

**Chapter 11 - TURNING UP THE HEAT**

Several days had passed. During this time, the saboteur had managed to continue with his malicious mischief with uncanny precision. Columbus, Bogg and Jeff still had no clue as to who this person was or why he was trying to stop this voyage. Columbus' patience had now been stretched to its limit as he was highly agitated at the unending events of destruction on the three ships. He and the two voyagers knew they were running out of time, since the ships would set sail in a couple of days.

It was morning. Bogg and Jeff were sitting at the table in the admiral's quarters discussing the previous actions of the saboteur and attempting to find a method to his madness. Columbus was pacing the floor, shouting and waving his arms about in the air, visibly upset.

"I just don't understand it!!" Columbus yelled as he threw his hands into the air. "We've been to Hades and back to try to get the funding and approval for this voyage. Just when I think everything is falling into place, this yellow-bellied scoundrel has to interfere. What injustice have I done to him that would warrant this level of retribution?".

"I wish I knew." Bogg replied. "Every time I try to get close to him, he gets away. The guy's a professional, otherwise he would have slipped up by now."

At this point in the discussion, Bogg and Jeff began to revisit a topic which they had discussed with Columbus some two weeks earlier.

Jeff watched as the angry explorer paced the floor and gritted his teeth.

"Chris." Jeff prompted. "In all of your travels, have you met anyone who would have any reason, no matter how small, to do something like this to you?"

"No!" Columbus replied rather sharply.

Bogg chimed in. "Chris, think back. You are the only one that can provide us with the answers we need."

"I know Mr. Bogg but now is not the time. I'm simply too upset to think about it at the moment." Columbus walked over to Jeff and knelt down beside him.

"My young friend, please forgive me for my rudeness." Columbus asked humbly in a soft tone. "I am not quite myself today."

"Chris, it's ok, don't worry about it." Jeff reassured.

Columbus stood up and walked over to the drink cabinet and poured himself a glass of rum. After taking a good-sized gulp of it, he brought his glass over to the table where his two friends were and sat down. For several moments, he sat there staring down at his glass, eerily silent, while replaying old memories in his mind.

Suddenly he responded. "I just don't know. Gentlemen, I really just do not know who could be doing this to me."

"Here we sit, some two days from casting off for the new world and we have some unknown person in our midst doing his best to stop this voyage from occurring." Columbus said, feeling helpless at this point. "The problem is, we are no closer to identifying him today than we were weeks ago."

"Bogg." Jeff whispered. "What about Drake? Could he be the one that is interfering with this voyage?"

"No, kid. I don't believe so. " Bogg whispered. "The man I saw in the moonlight was not Drake. Besides, this is not his style."

Columbus, having overheard their conversation about their old enemy Drake, looked up from his glass and asked. "Gentlemen, who is this Drake you speak of?"

Bogg caught somewhat off-guard started to respond. "Uh…well…"

Jeff quickly took over. "He is one of our old rivals."

"Do you think he could be the one causing all this trouble?" Columbus asked.

"No. This is not his style." Bogg replied. "If he wanted to sabotage this mission, he would have done something weeks or even months ago to stop it for good."

In that instant, the three heard quite a bit of yelling coming from outside.

"I wonder what all the noise is about?" Columbus asked.

The three rose from the table, walked over to the window and began to peer outside. In the same instant, a visibly shaken Carlos came charging through the door.

"Admiral, sir! There is a fire in the cargo hold! Come quick!" He exclaimed.

The three turned and ran out the door. Upon exiting the admiral's quarters, they could see the plumes of smoke rising from the cargo hold entrance. By the time they made it to the scene, the entire crew was involved in a bucket brigade, struggling to extinguish the flames. Jeff and Bogg jumped in and assisted them in their efforts. In the distance, the crews of the Nina and the Pinta saw the smoke billowing into the air and came running over to help.

After about 15 minutes of hard labor and what seemed like thousands of buckets of water, Bogg, Jeff and the crew finally extinguished the flames. Once the smoke had cleared, Carlos and several of the crew climbed down to assess the damage and then returned to the deck.

"Well, Carlos, how does it look?" Columbus asked.

"Sir, there is no major damage to the structure of the ship, just some scorched timbers. I'd say about a third of the cargo and supplies have been destroyed."

"How long do you estimate it will take to clean up the mess and gather new provisions?" Columbus asked.

"If we stop everything else and concentrate all our efforts, we should have it taken care of by the end of the day." Carlos replied.

Bogg turned to the first mate. "Carlos. Jeff and I will also help with the cleanup efforts, right kid?"

"Yea, Bogg. We can't let a little fire stop this voyage." Jeff acknowledged.

"So, when do we start?" Bogg asked.

Carlos surveyed the crew on deck. "With all this manpower, I'd say there's no time like the present."

Bogg, Jeff and the crew climbed down into the cargo hold and began the task of cleaning up after the fire. As they helped haul out the remains of the burnt cargo, the voyagers discussed the event.

"Bogg, what do you think happened here?" Jeff asked.

"I'd say our guest is back. " Bogg said pointedly. "I have been on many a ship in my lifetime. In all those years, I've never seen cargo just suddenly catch on fire. He's here. Call it intuition, second sight or whatever. I don't know how I know, but he's here. I can feel him."

The two reached the deck with a half-burned crate of cargo, carried it over to the edge and threw it overboard.

"How do you think he got aboard?" Jeff asked.

"I'd say he has now taken on the role of one of the crew. Otherwise, how could he make it to the cargo hold to set the fire without raising suspicion?"

"You've got a point." Jeff agreed. "If he has infiltrated the ranks of the crew, that should make it easier to catch him. Right?"

"One would think so kid. But, remember, this guy is intelligent and shrewd. Otherwise, he wouldn't have made it this far. He's going to be a tough nut to crack."

The two walked back over to the cargo hold entrance and began to climb down.

"Kid, from this point forward, we are all going to need to be on our toes. This guy is dangerous and looks like he will stop at nothing to keep this voyage from occurring. From now on, I want you by my side wherever I go so that I can keep an eye on you. I have a bad feeling about all of this and I don't want you to get hurt."

After hearing Bogg's last statement, his Jeff's eyes grew big as a fearful look came over his face. "Ok, Bogg. I won't leave your side."

The two Voyagers along with the crew continued their tasks of cleaning up and bringing aboard fresh cargo after the fire. Later that afternoon, they completed their work and called it a day. Bogg and Jeff left the ship to get cleaned up and afterward went back to the inn to grab a bite to eat and turn in for the evening.

--------------------------

The next morning as the two Voyagers were making their way to board the Santa Maria, they were quickly met by Columbus, who was standing on the dock waiting for them.

"Good morning, Gentlemen."

"Good Morning" Bogg replied.

"If it's ok with the two of you, I need for you to help the crew of the Nina today. They are behind in completing their repairs and with only one more day left before we set sail, it is crucial they finish on time."

"Sure Chris, no problem!" Bogg said eagerly.

Jeff and Bogg left the Santa Maria and walked over to the Nina. Once they arrived, Carlos was standing on deck waiting for them.

"Carlos, what are you doing here?" Bogg asked.

"Oh, I see the admiral recruited you also." Carlos said with a chuckle.

"Well, it's like this gentlemen, the preparations for this ship are far from complete. We have only one day left to finish here before we begin our voyage. I have brought some of the crew over from the Santa Maria in hopes of completing the preparations by this afternoon."

Suddenly, from the entrance of the cargo hold, one of the crew yelled up at Carlos.

"Sir!"

"What is it?" Carlos asked the crewman.

"Sir, we have sprung a leak and we're taking on water, fast."

"What?" Carlos asked in a state of disbelief.

As Bogg stood there looking and listening to the crewman, he noticed this guy looked very familiar. In an instant, he felt a rush of adrenaline coming on as he realized it was the man he had seen in the moonlight.

"Hey, you!!!" Bogg shouted as he pointed to the crewman. "Carlos, it's him, the saboteur."

The crewman, now aware he had been recognized, left the cargo hold and began running across the deck in an attempt to flee.

Bogg turned to Jeff. "Kid, stay here, I'm going after him." He said as he took off running across the deck in pursuit.

"Bogg, be careful!" Jeff shouted.

Bogg continued to chase after the crewman and finally caught up with him. In a desperate move, he took a flying leap toward the crewman and landed on his back. He grabbed him by the shoulders and forced him down on the deck. The two struggled for a while before Bogg finally had him subdued. He turned the crewman over on his back and looked at him with a mischievous grin.

"I'd say one good punch deserves another."

Bogg then slugged the crewman in the jaw.

After this little bit of retribution, the crewman found himself somewhat dazed. With Bogg's internal spring wound tight and his body running on pure adrenaline, he grabbed the crewman by the collar and began to interrogate him.

"Who are you and why are you trying to sabotage this voyage?" Bogg shouted. The crewman, still in a daze, rolled his eyes and said nothing. Bogg shook him quite aggressively and posed the question again.

"Hey, can you hear me! I said… why are you trying to sabotage this voyage?"

The crewman began to emerge from his state of confusion. He put on a devilish smile and began to speak in a in a raspy voice. "You still do not recognize me."

Bogg, now quite aggravated with the crewman and his actions, exclaimed, "Recognize you! Yea, I know who you are now! You are the old man I met in the marketplace!"

"Yes, I was the old man in the marketplace." The crewman replied. He let out an evil laugh and then continued to taunt the Voyager. "You still don't recognize me, but that's the least of your worries now. Columbus will not complete his voyage! I will make sure of it!"

He struggled once again to be free of Bogg. As he and Bogg continued their battle, Carlos finally arrived on the scene to help further subdue his captive. The crewman continued to wrestle with Bogg and Carlos until he managed to break free of them both. He quickly ran to the edge of the ship and dove off into the water.

From a distance, Jeff had been observing the intense struggle between Bogg, Carlos and the crewman. After watching him get away, he quickly ran over to where Bogg and Carlos were standing.

"Are you both ok?" Jeff asked.

"Yea, kid, we're ok." Bogg replied as he attempted to catch his breath. "Just a little battered and bruised."

"Bogg, this guy is as strong as ten men." Carlos said as he wiped the stream of blood from his chin. "Even the two of us, as strong as we are could not restrain him. Now I understand what you went through that night on the Santa Maria."

"He's definitely strong and cunning as a fox." Bogg said wryly.

"Bogg! " Jeff exclaimed. "Haven't we forgotten something?"

"What's that kid?" Bogg asked.

"Remember…the leak!"

"Aww…Bats Breath!" Bogg exclaimed.

"Oh no…the leak!" Carlos exclaimed. "Let's go!"

Bogg, Jeff and Carlos quickly ran below deck to look for the leak. By the time they arrived, the water in the hold was ankle deep.

"Carlos, we have got to find this leak and plug it." Bogg exclaimed.

"I know!" Carlos replied. "But where do we start?"

Jeff noticed the water was rising fast and they were running out of time. Suddenly, he had an idea. "Hey, we can find the leak by listening for the sound of rushing water. Shhhhh! Listen!"

Bogg and Carlos stood silently as Jeff listened for the sound of rushing water. In an instant, he pointed to some crates in front of him and yelled out to them, "Bogg! Carlos! The sound is coming from over there!"

Quickly, Bogg ran over to the port side of the ship, pushed some crates aside and revealed the leak. The water was coming in from a hole that had been bored through the side of the ship. Without wasting any time, he began searching for something to plug the hole. Suddenly, he grabbed a piece of wood lying on a nearby crate and ran back over to where the leak was. After wrapping the end of it with a piece of cloth torn from his shirt, he jammed it into the hole. At that point, the water stopped and the leak was temporarily plugged.

"Mr. Bogg, it looks as if you have done this before. Your reactions were purely instinctive." Carlos said.

"Yes, Carlos, I have had to plug leaks before." Bogg said as paused for a moment. "I've never had to plug one like this though."

"What do you mean?" Jeff asked.

"Well normally, when a ship springs a small leak, it usually occurs at the joints between the timbers. It's due in part to the flexing of the wood or to an improper seal. If you look closely here, you will see a hole has been cut through the hull of the ship."

Carlos and Jeff walked over to examine the area where the hole was found. As the two stepped closer to the area, Carlos stumbled on an object that was lying underwater.

"Are you alright?" Bogg asked as he steadied his fall.

At this point, Carlos reached into the water and pulled out a large metal object and held it up in front of his friends.

"Yes, Mr. Bogg, I'm ok." Carlos replied. "However, I almost broke my foot when I stumbled on this."

"What's that?" Jeff asked.

"It's some sort of boring tool." Carlos replied as he closely examined the device.

"What's that used for?" Jeff asked innocently.

Stunned by Jeff's question, Bogg put his hands on his hips, looked down at the water and shook his head in disbelief. Trying his best to hold back a laugh, he looked at his partner and attempted to answer his question with a straight face.

"Kid, it's used to bore holes in wood."

Jeff lowered his head and looked down at his feet.

"Oh…" He said bashfully. "I know…I know…that was a really stupid question."

"Bogg began to break up with laughter.

"Kid, don't worry about it. I know I have asked many of those questions myself in the past. You have to admit, it was funny." After their moment of comic relief, the two voyagers returned to the business at hand.

"Carlos, I'd say that's the tool he used to make the hole I just plugged." Bogg said.

Carlos looked around at the flooded cargo hold and then shook his head.

"The admiral is not going to take too well to this bit of sabotage. I guess, I better get some crew down here to bail out this water." He walked over and began to climb up to the deck of the ship.

"Carlos, before you go up top…any idea who our saboteur is?" Bogg asked.

"I really don't know who he is. I know every crewman on these three ships but this guy, I have never seen him before." Carlos replied as he disappeared through the cargo hold door.

"Bogg, you saw the guy up close this time. Were you able to recognize him?" Jeff asked.

"Yes! I know who he is now. Well, at least I know where I've seen him before."

"Where?" Jeff asked. "Who is he?"

"Kid, you remember when we landed in Grenada months ago?"

"How could I ever forget that soft landing in the hay." Jeff replied.

"Remember when we went into the marketplace and spoke to the man who was selling vegetables."

"Yea, Bogg. He's the one who told us about Chris and where we could find him."

"Well, he's our saboteur."

Totally amazed by Bogg's reply, Jeff exclaimed. "The saboteur? You've got to be kidding, right? He was an old man! How could an old man possess the strength to overtake both you and Carlos?"

"I'll tell you how, kid." Bogg said pointedly. "He wasn't a tired-old man he was just playing one."

"You mean he was in disguise?"

"Yep. It was a good performance. I'd say he could have won… a Grammy for it."

Jeff laughed and corrected his partner. "You mean an Oscar. Grammys are for music."

"Whatever, kid. I'm just saying he sure fooled the two of us. There's one thing about my encounter with him that was quite strange though."

"What was that?" Jeff asked.

"It was something he said to me during our struggle."

"What did he say?" Jeff asked.

"Well, he said. 'You still do not know who I am but that's the least of your worries now. Columbus will not complete his voyage and I will make sure of that.'"

"Wow! That was strange. So I guess we are supposed to know this guy?"

"Yea, it seems so. But, who is he and how does he fit into this picture?" Bogg asked in a rhetorical manner.

"Hopefully, we will find answers to those questions before Columbus sets sail." Jeff said


	12. Bon Voyage!

****

_**VOYAGERS! **_**- The Voyager Chronicles  
****DISCOVERIES - BOOK 1  
****(The First New Adventure)  
****By DA Daugherty (VoyagersFan)  
****October 2006 (Revised 05/2009)  
****Previous disclaimers apply**

**Chapter 12 - BON VOYAGE!**

The long anticipated day had arrived. Columbus was now hours away from weighing anchor and setting sail for the new world. Being the dedicated person that he was, he had spent the night on the Santa Maria completing some tasks in final preparation for his voyage. Over the past two weeks, he had put in many long nights such as this one. Little did he realize however, his sacrifices did not come without a price. All the long hours and lack of sleep had now begun to catch up with him. As a result, sometime in the night he had fallen asleep at his desk, his work half-finished.

Again, it was morning. Startled by the tolling of a bell at a nearby monastery, Columbus began to awaken from his unplanned nap. He rubbed his eyes and yawned as he sat back in his chair. Upon reaching a state of consciousness, he rose from his chair, walked over to the window and began to peer outside. As he stood there watching the seagulls flying over the ocean and the sun coming up on the horizon, the importance of this day suddenly hit him. "The day has finally come." He thought. "In a few hours, the culmination of a lifetime of hard work will commence. But, is this real or will I wake up in a few moments to find that it was only a dream? No! It is not a dream…it is reality. This voyage is finally going to take place."

He turned and walked back over to his desk and sat down. After retrieving his unused journal, he opened it and began making his first log entry.

"Friday, August 3rd, 1492." He wrote. "Today, we set sail from the Port of Palos on a voyage of discovery."

As he continued to write in his journal, there came a knock at the door.

"Who is it?" He asked.

"It's Bogg and Jeff. Can we come in?" Bogg asked.

"Gentlemen, please come in."

The two Voyagers opened the door and stepped inside.

"What brings you both here at such an early time of the morning? I know you wanted to be here to see me off but that won't occur for several more hours. I figured you would be taking advantage of the extra time to get some well-deserved rest from all your labors."

"Chris, we are not here just to see you off on your voyage." Bogg said brusquely. "Jeff and I are still very concerned about this saboteur and the fact he has now come aboard ship. He is still determined to stop this voyage regardless of what it takes to do so. In my struggle with him yesterday, he made some statements which were quite threatening."

"What were those statements, Mr. Bogg?" Columbus asked.

Bogg began quoting the saboteur. "Well, his words were, 'You still do not recognize me, but that is the least of your worries now. Columbus will not complete his voyage and I will make sure of it.'"

"So he's still out to stop this voyage." Columbus stated wryly. "Did he give you any reason as to why he wants to do this?"

"No, Chris. There is still no rhyme or reason why he wants to do so. But, I am a little closer to knowing his identity."

Columbus lowered his brow as a perplexed look came over his face.

"What did he mean by the 'You still do not recognize me' statement? It sounds like you are supposed to know him. Do you know who he is?"

"Well, yes and no." Bogg replied with a somewhat puzzled look on his face.

"Chris, several months ago before we first met, Jeff and I had just arrived in Grenada. We were attempting to locate you but did not know where to start looking. At that time, we stopped and spoke to an older gentleman, who was selling vegetables in the marketplace and asked him where we might find you. He began telling us about you in great detail. He was very knowledgeable of your theories and knew exactly where you lived."

"A stranger in the marketplace who knows of me and has knowledge my theories?" Columbus asked "That's very odd, especially since I know no one who works in the market."

"Chris, at the time, Jeff and I really didn't think much of it. We were just grateful for the information we received."

Bogg continued. "Remember the night when Jeff and I kept watch for the saboteur on the Santa Maria?"

Columbus nodded in affirmation. "Yes, and I also remember very well the bruises you had the next morning."

Bogg grinned and rubbed his jaw. "I remember those bruises also."

"That night during our struggle, I saw a glimpse of the saboteur's face in the moonlight. At the time his face seemed somehow vaguely familiar to me. For days, I tried to recall who he was and where I had met him, only to no avail. When I saw him yesterday on board the Nina, it finally hit me. I realized the face I had seen that night was the face of the man in the marketplace and also that of the man standing in front of me."

"In light of what we now know, what am I going to do?" Columbus asked. "We set sail a few hours from now. I cannot just postpone this voyage, especially since we are this close to weighing anchor.

"That's why we are here." Bogg said as he walked over and stood beside the explorer. "Jeff and I had a pretty lengthy discussion about this over dinner last night. We came to the conclusion that the only way to stop this saboteur from interfering with your voyage, is to come along with you."

"While I have no qualms with the two of you coming along on this voyage, the question is, are you sure you are up to the task?" Columbus asked, showing his concern for the two. "It's going to be a rough journey. It may be many weeks before we set foot on land again."

"We're ready, willing and able." Jeff said boldly.

The crazy explorer rose from his chair, walked over and knelt in front of the young Voyager.

"My young friend. While I know Mr. Bogg with his past experience as a sailor will have no problems being aboard ship for weeks, I am, however, quite concerned for you."

"Don't worry Chris, I'll be ok. It's not my first time to sail on board a ship." Jeff reassured. "If I run into problems, Bogg will be here to help me."

"Chris, you have too many other things to be worried about right now. Besides, Jeff will do just fine…" Bogg replied. "Well, I hope!"

"Bogg!!" Jeff exclaimed.

"Hey, just kidding."

"Well, you gentlemen better go quickly and fetch your things." Columbus urged as he stood up, walked back to his desk and sat down.

"We have all that we need with us now. Jeff and I always travel very light." Bogg said as he turned and looked at his partner. "Isn't that right, kid?"

"Yeah, we always travel light." Jeff replied.

"Just the clothes on our backs, an omni and a big ol' pocket full of beef jerky. What more could we need." Jeff muttered with a hint of cynicism in his voice.

"I heard that." Bogg quipped. Without warning, Bogg picked up his partner, threw him over his shoulder and proceeded to walk out the door.

"Bogg! C'mon Bogg… Let me down, please!" Jeff pleaded.

"Chris… We will leave you now and let you get back to your work. If you need us, we will be out on deck. Besides, I think Jeff is a little hot at the moment and needs some time to cool off.

"Mr. Bogg, how do you propose to remedy that?" Columbus asked with an obvious smile on his face. "Would a glass of water cool your young friend off?

"Bogg, I'm not hot! Now let me down!" Jeff commanded. "Please Bogg!!!"

This was the beginning of yet another of Bogg's classic pranks on his partner. Bogg had always loved to tease his young partner just as much as Jeff loved to tease him in return. Since the time they first met, not a day had passed without some sort of prank occurring. For Bogg this had to the one of the best ones yet and he knew it. It was going off without a hitch and even Columbus had taken a part in it. His biggest problem at the moment was keeping his composure to see it through to its completion. This would be a difficult, since he was now about to burst at the seams with laughter.

"Chris, I think it will take more than a glassful of water to cool Jeff off. You know, maybe a dip in the ocean would be more appropriate. Don't you think that would be an appropriate remedy?" Bogg asked.

Columbus had now put aside his work for the moment and was beginning to enjoy participating in Bogg's little tease.

"Well, it's a nice day outside and the water is just the right temperature. I can see no reason why that would not work." Columbus responded while attempting to hold back his laughter.

"Noooooo! Booooogg!" Jeff yelled at his partner. "No, no, please don't throw me in the ocean! I was just kidding…Bogg! Honest! I really do like the beef jerky!" Jeff began to squirm and thrash his arms to get free of his captor. However, Bogg continued to hold onto him tightly.

Columbus chuckled at the two and their antics. "You gentlemen remind me of two siblings poking fun at each other. You two run along and have some fun. You both deserve it after all the work you have done here. Oh and please, whatever you do, try not to hurt yourselves."

"C'mon Jeff, you have a date with the waters of the deep blue sea." Bogg teased. "I'll bet you've always wanted to be a fish. Well, now's your chance."

"No, I don't want to be a fish!" Jeff yelled as he continued to wriggle about. "Now let go of me!"

Bogg continued the banter with his partner as he carried him out the door.

"Come to think of it you'll get cooled off and have a bath at the same time."

"Ok Bogg, you've had your laugh, now let me down." Jeff pleaded. "Bogg!!! I don't need a drink and I had a bath last night!"

Once outside, Bogg ended his moment of fun with his partner and put him down onto the deck.

Jeff looked up at his partner. "I'm sorry Bogg. Really! I didn't mean what I said."

"Kid, I was just having a little fun with you." Bogg said with a grin. "You just left yourself wide open for that one. I just couldn't resist."

Bogg looked at his partner as he continued to talk about the prank and noticed Jeff was obviously shaken up by what he had done. Seeing his partner in this state now made him feel that maybe he had taken this prank a little too far.

Feeling guilty for the stress he had inflicted on him, Bogg knelt down in front of Jeff to console him. "Come here, kid." He said. He then put his arms around Jeff and began to reassure him. "Listen, I wouldn't have thrown you in the ocean. I would never, ever do anything to hurt you. You're the closest thing to family that I have."

Bogg released his hug, looked him squarely in the eye and asked, "Why are you so shaken up over this? We have teased each other many times in the past, but you have never reacted this way before. So what's wrong?"

"Bogg, I was afraid that you were actually going to throw me in the ocean. If you had done that, I would have drowned because I cannot swim." Jeff said nervously.

"Kid, I'm so sorry. If I had known you couldn't swim, I would have never played this prank on you." Bogg said apologetically. "No wonder you were so shaken up."

"It's not your fault Bogg, you didn't know and besides, it was actually a really good prank. You had me convinced and scared as well." Jeff replied with a grin now on his face.

"One question though. How did you get Chris to play along? You didn't have time to let him in on the prank."

"Kid, I guess he just figured out what I was doing and played along." Bogg said as he shrugged his shoulders. "You have to admit, he was having as much fun with it as I was."

"Well, just you remember, turnabout is fair play." Jeff threatened. "I will get you back. Just you wait and see."

"Ooo, I'm scared." Bogg said playfully as he started to laugh.

Jeff, with a serious look on his face, raised his hand and pointed to his partner. "Be scared… Be very, very scared. It will occur when you least expect it." Bogg raised his brow as he stared silently at his partner. After a few moments, the two burst out laughing at one another.

"How about letting me make it up to you?" Bogg asked. "As soon as we finish with this mission, I'll take you somewhere and teach you how to swim. Ok?"

"That would be great…Bogg! I can't wait!"

"In the meantime, it's going to be a while before we set sail, so why don't you and I take a stroll around the ship and do a little sightseeing." Bogg urged. "Who knows, we might just see something interesting."

"Like the saboteur being caught in the act?" Jeff asked.

"Yeah, something like that. C'mon, let's go." Bogg put his hand on Jeff's shoulder and they proceeded on their journey.

-------------------------------------------------------

Later that morning, the two finished their sightseeing and had found a comfortable spot on deck for a bit of rest and relaxation. As they sat there, lounging against some crates and soaking up the sunshine, they were totally startled by the sound of Columbus's voice behind them.

"Carlos!" Columbus shouted.

"Yes, Admiral." Carlos replied as he stood behind the wheel of the ship.

"Weigh the anchor and set sail." Columbus yelled.

"Aye, Aye, Admiral." Carlos replied.

Bogg and Jeff stood up and walked over to the deck rail. In the background the sounds of the crewmen hauling up the anchor and hoisting the sails could be heard. Columbus walked over and joined them at the rail.

"Well gentlemen, we are on our way. It's taken a lifetime of hard work to get to this point. Let's just hope it's not in vain."

"Chris, it won't be." Bogg reassured. "I have a sneaking suspicion, you will find what you seek."

"Yea, and a whole lot more." Jeff mumbled.

"Thank you for your confidence. Some reassuring is just what I needed right now."

Columbus returned to his quarters. Bogg and Jeff continued to man their post at the rail and gaze out over the ocean.

"Bogg, do you think we will actually make it to the new world?" Jeff asked.

"Yea, we have to kid. We'll make it but, not without some problems. No thanks to our uninvited guest."

"Where do you think he will strike next?" Jeff asked.

"I don't know exactly where or when, but he will strike again. That is where you and I come in. We've got to keep our eyes open and be ready to stop him, no matter what it takes. We cannot afford to let him jeopardize this voyage."

"Have you had any other clues as to who he is?" Jeff asked. "You remember, he said you were supposed to know him."

"No, not really." Bogg replied with a hint of disappointment in his tone. "The more I think about it, the less sense it makes. Look at what's happened so far. First of all, we go back in time to witness Columbus make his great discovery. We find ourselves at the correct time and place and he is not there. We go further back in time to find him and discover the cause of the problem. All of a sudden, we come across this mysterious person in the marketplace, who knows everything about Columbus, right down to what he had for breakfast this morning. After locating Columbus, we find out later that Columbus knows no one in the marketplace. Once we get his mission back on the right track, this person shows up again to sabotage our efforts. Only this time, he is disguised as one of the crew. Then there are the two statements he made…First, Columbus will never complete his voyage and he will make sure of it. Second, that somehow I should know him."

Bogg paused for a moment and again gazed out over the ocean.

"You know what really has me confused at the moment is his motive. If I knew what he hoped to gain from all of this, I would be one step closer to understanding it all."

"Bogg, you are doing the best that you can under the circumstances." Jeff reassured his partner. "Don't let it trouble you. The answers will come in due time. You said we have to keep our eyes open and that's just what we have to do."

"Thanks kid. I take back all of the bad things I ever said about you. You are the best partner a voyager could ever have."

Jeff playfully punched Bogg on the shoulder. "Bad things? What bad things have you said about me?" He said comically.

"Oh, nothing. I haven't said anything bad about you."

Jeff took hold of Bogg's arm and playfully twisted it behind his back. "Huh!, Huh!, C'mon Bogg, 'fess up! I've got you! You can't hold back now. " He then torque his partner's arm a little bit more.

Playing along with Jeff's teasing and acting as if his hold on him was causing him escruciating pain, Bogg yelled out. "Oow! Oow! Ok kid, I give. You've got me. I can't take this torture any longer."

Jeff released his grip. Bogg then turned to his young partner and with a big grin on his face, said. "You know, smart kids give me a pain."

"I'll get you for that one." Jeff said as he reached again for Bogg's arm. Bogg sensed what Jeff was about to do and took off running across the deck. "You'll have to catch me first, kid!"

Jeff quickly followed in pursuit.

----------------------------------------------

Several weeks passed. The three ships were now several hundred miles west of their departure point of Palos. It was evening and the sun was beginning to set behind some dark and ominous clouds in the distance. The ships were beginning to experience some highly turbulent seas, due in part to the oncoming weather front In light of the rough seas, all other operations on the ship were going as expected; the only exception to this was a bit of mal-de-mer being experienced by one rather important member of the crew.

Suddenly, Jeff stormed out on deck and quickly ran over to the side of the ship, where he threw himself over the rail and started to heave. Bogg, not too far in the distance, immediately caught up with his partner and put his hand on Jeff's back as he stood beside him.

"Kid are you ok?" Bogg asked.

Jeff lifted his head and looked up at his partner. His face was pale and his curly locks of hair were dripping with sweat.

"No, Bogg. I really don't feel so good." He replied before again starting to heave.

"I thought you said you had been on a ship before?" Bogg asked.

"Yes, I have…once. However, the ocean was not this rough."

"C'mon Jeff, I know exactly what you need." Bogg said as he picked his partner up in his arms and carried him below deck.

Upon returning to their quarters, Jeff's symptoms began to worsen to the point where he started to pass out. He walked over to Jeff's bunk and gently lowered him onto it and covered him with a blanket.

"Bogg, what happened? Where are we?" Jeff asked with a weak voice.

"We are back in our quarters and you, kid, are in your bunk." Bogg explained. "Now lie there, be quiet and rest. I will be back in a moment."

As Bogg turned to leave the room, Jeff sat up and looked at him. "Where are you going? You are not going to leave me here are you?"

"No Jeff, I'm not going to leave you here." Bogg walked over to his sick partner, consoled him and lowered him back into bed. "I have to get you some medicine. You are suffering from a bad case of mal-de-mer and I know exactly what you need."

"Mal-de-mer! That sounds serious. What is it?" Jeff asked in a somewhat slow, weary tone. "I thought I was just seasick.

"Mal-de-mer kid, is an old sailors term for seasickness. Now lay back and rest. I'll be back shortly"

Bogg left the room and went immediately to the Admiral's quarters. He knew he would find the medicine Jeff needed there.

"Mr. Bogg, what brings you here." Columbus asked.

"Jeff has a bad case of mal-de-mer and I need some rum. I remembered that you had some in your cabinet."

"Yes, by all means help yourself." Columbus said politely. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Bogg went over to the cabinet and began to pour a small amount of rum into a glass for Jeff.

"No Chris but thanks for asking. This rum and a good night's sleep should take care of it."

"I thought he had sailed before." Columbus noted.

"Yes he has but he said the seas were not as rough as they are today."

"The sea is quite rough today. Unfortunately for us, this is a very bad sign. I believe by morning we will be sailing through some very rough weather. Why don't you tell him to stay in bed and rest until these seas calm down."

"That's where he is now. I don't think he will be getting up any time soon." Bogg closed the cabinet and headed toward the door. "I better get back to him now before he starts to worry. Thanks for the rum, Chris."

"You are quite welcome, Mr. Bogg."

Bogg left Columbus and went back to their quarters. As he walked through the door, Jeff sat up and looked at him.

"Bogg! You're back! That was quick."

"I'm back and I've got just we need to cure your sickness. " Bogg walked over to Jeff's bunk and sat down on the edge beside him. "Here, take this and sip it very slowly."

"Ewww! What is it?" Jeff asked as he sniffed the glass and turned up his nose.

"It's rum, an old sea-farer's remedy for mal-de-mer."

"Rum! You're giving me rum! C'mon Bogg! I want to get well, not drunk!" He exclaimed.

"Yes, Jeff. I'm giving you rum." Bogg said sternly. "Don't worry, you are not going to get drunk from this little bit. Now quit whining and drink it."

Jeff took his first sip from the glass as his partner watched. After resting the glass on the side of the bed, he made a sour face and shook his head.

"Bogg, this tastes awful."

"Kid it's rum. It's not supposed to taste good." Bogg said wryly. "Now drink."

Jeff finished the last of the rum and handed the glass to his partner. He set the glass on the floor and reached over lowered his partner back into bed.

"You need to rest now and let the rum do it's job." Bogg urged.

"But Bogg, what happens if the saboteur…" Jeff said, before Bogg interrupted him.

"Don't worry about the saboteur. You need to rest now and recuperate." Bogg said as he put his hand on Jeff's forehead. "I can't have you running around here chasing after the saboteur as sick as you are. I need you to be at 100 percent tip-top condition to help me catch him. Like I said, you rest. You will feel much better in the morning. Ok!"

"Ok Bogg, if you say so…" Jeff said as he pulled up the covers and closed his eyes.

Just as he had expected, the rum quickly started to work to treat Jeff's sickness, for he had now surrendered to its effects.

With his partner now fast asleep, Bogg began to relax the grip he had on his emotions. His partner's bout of seasickness had stirred up memories in Bogg of the time when he almost lost him after being bitten by a rabid dog. Even though Bogg knew this was no-where near as serious as the previous situation, he couldn't help but feel greatly concerned for his partner.

Bogg slowly got up and brought a chair over from the other side of the room. After placing it next to his partner's bunk, he sat down and pulled off his boots. Like a worried parent, he sat there watching his young partner's every breath. Hours later, when he could no longer overcome the weight of his heavy eyelids, he leaned back in the chair and dozed off.


	13. The Final Confrontation

****

_**VOYAGERS! **_**- The Voyager Chronicles  
****DISCOVERIES - BOOK 1  
****(The First New Adventure)  
****By DA Daugherty (VoyagersFan)  
****October 2006 (Revised 05/2009)  
****Previous disclaimers apply**

**Chapter 13 - THE FINAL CONFRONTATION**

The next day, Columbus and his crew found themselves in the middle of a treacherous storm at sea. The skies were dark and ominous almost as if it were dusk. The winds were now blowing wildly as the surging ocean waves tossed the three ships to and fro. Streaks of lightning illuminated the skies, which along with the loud claps of thunder made it look and feel much like a 4th of July fireworks show. In the midst of this natural chaos, the crews of all three ships were busy attempting to keep themselves afloat and on course. The combination of the wind and the waves had rocked the Santa Maria to such an extreme that it had thrown the still sleeping Bogg and Jeff out onto the floor.

"Ouch!" Jeff exclaimed. "What's goin' on here! Bogg…where are you?"

"Jeff, I'm over here. Are you ok, kid?" Bogg yelled over the sounds of the howling winds.

"Yea, I guess. What's going on with the ship?"

"I don't know. It feels like we are in the middle of a storm." Bogg replied. "How's the mal-de-mer this morning? Are you feeling better?"

"Yea, much better. I'm not nauseous anymore." Jeff said. "Wow, Bogg, that rum really does work."

"Sure does kid, every time…It's an old remedy."

"I sure could use something to eat right now. You have any more of that beef jerky?"

"Yea, here." Bogg reached in his pocket, grabbed a piece of jerky and tossed it to his partner. "What's up with the jerky? You've really changed your opinion about it since yesterday."

"At this point, Bogg, I'm hungry and I would eat just about anything."

Bogg chuckled as his young friend began to chew on the jerky. He picked himself up off the floor and pulled on his boots. While he attempted to do so, the ship suddenly pitched to one side, throwing him against the wall."

"Oh, that didn't feel so good!" Bogg mumbled as he peeled himself off of the wall and attempted to regain his balance.

"It must be a pretty bad storm out there. Kid, I think I'll go up top to see if the crew needs some help. Why don't you stay here, where it's safe."

"Oh no, Bogg, I'm coming with you."

"Kid, you heard me. Stay here!" Bogg said sternly.

"No Bogg, you're not going to leave me here this time." Jeff yelled. He ran over to the door and leaned against it in a defiant sort of pose. He then pointed at his partner and said with a look of sheer satisfaction on his face. "If I don't leave, you don't leave!"

"Ok Jeff. You win! Come on." Bogg said as he resigned himself to the situation. "Smart kids give me such a pain" He muttered as he and Jeff walked out the door.

As they came upon the door to the main deck, they heard the howling of the winds outside. Bogg opened the door and within seconds, the wind and the rain from the storm completely engulfed the two of them. They fought their way through the incoming torrent out on to the deck. Jeff locked his arms around his partner to keep from losing his balance.

"Kid! " Bogg yelled at his partner through the noise of the storm.

"Yea, Bogg!"

"I can't risk you being swept overboard in this storm. Do you think you can make it over to the Admirals' quarters?" Bogg asked.

"I don't think so Bogg." Jeff replied.

"C'mon, kid, we'll go together."

The two voyagers began to slowly and carefully make their way across the deck to the Admiral's quarters. After a few moments, they reached the door and went inside.

"Jeff, you stay here until this storm settles down. You'll be safe here and I will know where you are." Bogg urged. He kneeled down in front of his partner and pointed his finger at him. "Whatever you do don't go outside. I mean it Jeff! Stay here!"

"I will Bogg, honest, I will." Jeff agreed. Bogg rose, walked over to the door and opened it slightly.

"Bogg?"

Bogg turned and looked back at his partner. "Yea, kid."

"Be careful!"

"You betcha kid." Bogg paused for a moment as he grabbed his omni from his belt.

"Here kid, hold on to this for me." Bogg said as he tossed the omni to his partner. "If anything happens, you take this and get out of here."

"But Bogg! I can't leave you here." Jeff whined.

"No buts! At the slightest sign of danger, you set the omni and get out!"

"Ok, Bogg." Jeff said as he bowed his head.

Bogg slowly walked through the door out into the storm and closed it behind him. Jeff went over the window and with the omni clutched tightly in his hand, began to watch the events unfolding out on deck.

As Bogg made his way across the deck through the fierce wind and rain, he looked around and saw Columbus and his crew on the starboard side of the ship. His first mate, Carlos was at the helm struggling to keep the ship on course. All were hard at work trying to keep the Santa Maria afloat.

"Chris!" Bogg yelled. "Need some help?"

"Yes, Mr. Bogg. We could use a hand with these ropes here." Columbus yelled.

Bogg walked over to help the crew with their tasks. While he and several of the crew were tightening the sails, he couldn't help but notice a stray member of the crew who was at this moment, high up in the rigging. Something about this seemed very odd to the seafaring Bogg. He knew all too well in a storm like this, the last place you wanted to be was high up in the rigging. As he stood there holding onto the rope, he continued to observe the crewman and his actions.

"Chris! " Bogg yelled.

"Yes Mr. Bogg." Columbus replied. Even in this fierce storm, Columbus continued to keep his cool and show his manners.

"What's that crewman doing up there in the rigging?" asked Bogg.

"I don't know." Columbus yelled. "I didn't send him up there. There's really no reason for him to be there."

Suddenly, Bogg looked up and saw the crewman pull a knife from his pocket and begin to cut the rigging ropes.

"Look Chris, he's cutting the rigging!" Bogg yelled.

"I see it, Mr. Bogg."

Bogg yelled up at the crewman. "Hey you! What are you doing?"

The crewman continued with his task, undaunted by Bogg's question. Once he had cut through one rope, he began to slash one of the sails.

"Chris, it's the saboteur! I'm going after him!" He yelled.

Bogg made his way carefully over to the main mast and began to climb up to where the crewman was now located. About halfway up, a gust of wind caught him and knocked him off balance. Luckily, he saw a rope nearby and quickly grabbed hold of it. He paused for a moment to try and regain his footing on the mast and continued his climb upward.

While observing the events unfolding out on deck, Jeff had become greatly concerned for Bogg's safety. He wanted so much to go out and help his partner, but he knew it was just too dangerous for him to be out on deck.

Bogg continued to climb the mast. Once he reached the crewman, he attempted to grab hold of him, but he was too far out of reach. In a daring move, he began to traverse the rigging in hopes of getting closer to him, however, the crewman, had begun his retreat and was still too far away to be captured. This pursuit continued and at one point, Bogg again lost his footing on the ropes and almost fell to the deck below.

As the crewman continued his descent, Bogg was in fact now gaining on him. Suddenly, a gust of wind hit them both; the crewman slipped and got himself tangled in the ropes in a rather undignified position. He was now hanging upside down by one leg struggling with all his might to get free. Unfortunately for the crewman, this was the one mistake that Bogg had been waiting for. This gave Bogg time to catch up with him.

After a few moments, the crewman freed himself from his embarrassing predicament and pulled himself up to an upright position. However, with Bogg now upon him, there was nowhere left to escape. Bogg reached over and put a headlock on the crewman.

"What are you doing!" Bogg yelled at the crewman. "Are you crazy? You're trying to get us all killed here!"

The two continued their struggle until suddenly the crewman pulled the knife from his belt and thrust it at Bogg, slashing his arm. Bogg grabbed his arm, which was now bleeding profusely. The crewman continued his climb down from the rigging. Quickly, Bogg tore a piece of cloth from his shirt and tied it around his arm like a tourniquet and began to climb down in pursuit.

As the crewman reached the deck, in a gallant attempt to capture him, Bogg jumped from the rigging and tackled him. At this point a slugfest ensued, with Bogg and the crewman swapping punches blow for blow. They continued to thrash and slide about on deck as Bogg tried with all his might to subdue him.

Eventually, both managed to get back to their feet to continue their struggle. After a few more moments of punishment, the crewmen pushed Bogg over against the deck rail and tried to dump him overboard. In a desperate attempt to keep from being thrown overboard, Bogg put a boot to the crewman's chest and pushed him down onto the deck. He quickly leaped on top of him and landed a blow to the back of his neck, rendering him almost unconscious. Dazed, from Bogg's obvious karate chop, the crewman had now been subdued. Bogg turned him onto his back and continued to hold him down until help arrived. As the crewman continued to move about, attempting to get free, a shiny metal object fell from his pocket and slid down beside him. Bogg gazed in disbelief at the object before reaching over to pick it up.

Shocked by what he had just found, Bogg looked at the crewman and asked, "Oh and what do we have here?" He recognized the large V carved into the top of the object.

"It's an omni and not just any old omni, it's a silver one…and now I know exactly who you are!" Bogg yelled.

Drake looked up at his fellow voyager and in a condescending tone replied. "So you finally figured it out. I was wondering how long it would take you to put the pieces together. Even in Voyager school, you always were a little slow."

"Why Drake? Why are you doing this?" Bogg asked.

Columbus and several of the crew had now arrived at Bogg's side. "Restrain him." Columbus ordered. The crew lifted Drake from the deck and bound him with rope.

Bogg grabbed Drake by the collar and pulled him in close. "You still haven't answered my question! Why are you doing this?"

"If it hadn't been for you, Susan and that little brat you have as a partner, my plot to take over Voyager Headquarters would have been a success. I will never forget what you three did to discredit me. I will have my revenge on the three of you. Just wait and see." Drake spewed.

"Mr. Bogg. Do you know this person?" Columbus asked.

"Yes, unfortunately, I do. He's an old rival of mine, you remember, the one we were talking about several weeks ago."

"Take him below deck and keep a continuous guard on him." Columbus ordered. "We'll figure out what to do with him later."

The crew led their captive down below deck.

Columbus turned to Bogg. "Mr. Bogg, you have captured the saboteur. Looks like our voyage should proceed normally from this point forward."

"Well, Chris. As long as Drake is on board, we are all in great danger. I'll feel more comfortable when we reach land."

"I think I will go below deck with the crew and check on our captive. I want to make sure he cannot escape." Columbus said. "And you my friend need to go below and take care of that arm.

By this point, the storm had begun to subside and Jeff, anxious to get back to his partner, left the Admiral's quarters and ran over to Bogg.

"Wow Bogg, you caught the saboteur." Jeff said with a note of excitement in his voice. "I saw the whole thing through the window. And what a flying tackle you made on him."

"Yea, kid, we've caught him. You won't believe who he is."

"C'mon, don't keep me in suspense, who is he?" Jeff asked.

Bogg reached into his pocket and pulled out Drake's silver omni and held it up to Jeff. "Does this look familiar?" He asked.

"That's Drake's omni!" Jeff exclaimed. "How did he get that?"

"I'll tell you how. The saboteur was none other than old Drake himself."

"You've captured Drake?"

"Yep. He's, how should I put it. On ice, kid. Down below." Bogg replied with a mobster voice.

Jeff laughed at his partner's musings. He retrieved the omni from his pocket and handed it back to Bogg. "Here, you can have this back now. You might want to take a peek and see if everything is ok."

"Thanks." Bogg opened the omni and much to his surprise, there was a green light."

"Green light, kid!" Bogg exclaimed.

"Great! Now Columbus will finally discover America. So what do we do now? There are several more weeks until we land." Jeff asked.

"We can't just leave Columbus now. It would raise some rather awkward questions. With Drake onboard, there's already enough questions." Bogg replied. "Are you up to a few more weeks of sailing, kid?"

"I guess." Jeff said as he resigned himself to his fate. "We've come this far, so we might as well see it through to the end."

"C'mon, let's go below and get cleaned up. I need you to help me fix up this arm. Besides, I'm beginning to feel like a pirate again. Now where's that parrot when you need him." Bogg said with a smile on his face.

"Bogg! I thought you said you never had a parrot?" Jeff asked, somewhat confused. Bogg put his arm around his partner and they both began to chuckle as they went below deck.


	14. Bogg's Revenge

****

_**VOYAGERS! **_**- The Voyager Chronicles  
****DISCOVERIES - BOOK 1  
****(The First New Adventure)  
****By DA Daugherty (VoyagersFan)  
****October 2006 (Revised 05/2009)  
****Previous disclaimers apply**

**Chapter 14 - BOGG'S REVENGE**

The storm had passed and it was a new day. The seas were quite calm and there was a refreshing cool breeze blowing across the deck of the Santa Maria. Jeff and Bogg were enjoying this beautiful weather by soaking up some sun out on the deck.

"Kid, what could be better. We're on our way to discover a new world with no difficulties in sight. Here we sit, not a care in the world, enjoying this beautiful day, the warm sunshine and the cool breezes." Bogg said in a dreamy sort of way. "It could only be better if I had a beautiful woman sitting here beside me."

Jeff elbowed his partner in the ribs. "Bogg! I hate to disappoint you, but there are no women on any of these ships."

"Ouch!…Hey, a person can dream, can't he?" Bogg teased.

"Yea, you can dream, but remember, reality bites, especially when you come back to it." Jeff said with a grin.

"Ok, have it your way. I think I'll just lie back and soak up some more rays." Bogg said as he stretched out and put his hands behind his head.

At that moment, Columbus came out on deck and walked over and stood beside the two voyagers.

"Gentlemen, I hate to interrupt your moment of relaxation, but we have some business to attend to."

"What business is that, Chris?" Jeff asked.

"Well my young friend, we have a saboteur down below, and I think it's time we proceed with his punishment." Columbus replied.

Bogg and Jeff immediately stood up. "What did you have in mind, Chris" Bogg asked. "Flogging might be an option."

"No, Mr. Bogg. There's only one punishment for treachery of this sort." Columbus quipped.

By this time, Carlos, had walked over and heard part of the conversation.

"The Plank!" Carlos exclaimed.

"Yes, my friends, the Plank." Columbus replied.

"Bogg!" Jeff whispered. "They're going to make him walk the plank."

"Yea kid and he deserves it." Bogg said staunchly. "Every last step of it."

"Carlos, make the appropriate preparations. The traitor will take his final walk at noon today." Columbus ordered.

"Gentlemen, please continue to relax and enjoy the beautiful weather." Columbus said before he turned and walked back to his quarters.

"Bogg, they are going to kill him." Jeff whispered. "Even if he is a renegade, he doesn't deserve that. What about rehabilitation?"

"Kid. I know. If it were simply up to me, I would rather take him back to VHQ and let the Voyager Code dictate his punishment. Drake has done many bad things in his past, including the banishment of all those innocent voyagers, which we heard about at the trial. Unfortunately, he has reached a point where his actions have now condemned him. I really do not know how I can save him now. If he wants to get out of this one, he will have to figure it out himself. By now, he probably has his escape already planned. Just watch and see. The problem is, he cannot go anywhere in time as long as I have his omni clipped to my belt."

The two continued to lie on the deck and soak up the sun. In the background, preparations were being made for Drakes' upcoming walk.

-------------------------------------------

For Bogg and Jeff, time had quickly passed, for it was now noon. The sound of Columbus and his men, escorting their prisoner out on deck suddenly awakened them both. They stood up and walked over and stood beside Columbus.

"Hold him." Columbus barked.

"Crewman, according to the laws governing the seas, your actions have not only put this voyage in jeopardy but also have endangered myself, the crew and these two gentlemen as well. As admiral of this ship, I have the sole authority and responsibility for handing out punishment for such offenses. In this instance, there is only one punishment for such treachery. At this time, I hereby sentence you to the Plank. Is there anything you wish to say in your defense at this point?"

Drake raised his head and spoke defiantly to the group.

"All I want to say is that if it hadn't been for that man and his little brat of a partner, none of this would have happened."

Bogg pointed to his fellow Voyager and showing the same defiance, yelled back.

"Yea and if it hadn't been for the treachery you inflicted on others of our race and your greed to take control of our… um …country, you wouldn't be here. So you deserve what you get!"

Bogg looked down at his partner. "Isn't that right, my little brat of a partner?" He asked as he winked at him.

"Yea, right." Jeff agreed. He suddenly realized his partner had a plan. Bogg's wink was the signal for him to play along.

"This little brat of a partner says make him walk and quickly too!" Jeff yelled.

Columbus nodded in agreement. "There seems to be a consensus here. So men, if you would, please commence with the punishment."

The crewmen led Drake up and out onto the plank. They removed the ropes that bound him and began to push him forward with the points of their swords.

"Bogg!" Drake yelled, his voice quivering from knowing his eventual fate. "Are you going to stand there and let these people kill a fellow voyager? I don't deserve this."

"Yes, you do." Bogg said in a rather uncaring manner.

"Help me Bogg!, Please!" Drake pleaded.

"Why should I after what you put me through at the trial."

"Bogg! I'll do anything, please!"

The crew continued to push Drake further out onto the plank.

"Are you willing to leave Jeff and I alone." Bogg asked.

"Yes, I'll leave you and your little brat alone."

"And Susan and the others at VHQ?" Bogg asked.

"Yes, them too. I swear, I won't do anything else to harm them."

"Are you willing to go back to VHQ and accept punishment for all those you have wronged in the past?" Bogg asked.

"Yes, I do! I promise! I accept full responsibility!" Drake yelled impatiently. "Now help me, Bogg!"

By this time, the crew had pushed Drake to the edge of the plank. Bogg looked up and noticed the now nervous Drake was sweating profusely. He knew Drake had realized this was his last chance. It was now time to implement his plan.

"Chris! Wait a moment." Bogg asked.

"Hold up men!" Columbus commanded.

"Chris, I have something that belongs to the traitor. It's the only possession he had on him at the time and I feel he needs to take it with him on his walk. Maybe it will bring him some good luck."

Columbus and the crew began to laugh uncontrollably. "Yea, give him his good luck charm, he will need all the luck he can get where he's going." One of the crewmen yelled out.

"Here, catch." Bogg tossed the silver omni to Drake. "I expect you to keep your word."

"Yes, I will." Drake replied.

"Proceed with the punishment!" Columbus ordered.

The crew continued to prod Drake off the edge with their swords. Suddenly, Drake took a step and fell overboard with a splash.

"Yay!" The crew shouted.

"Well, Mr. Bogg, Mr. Jones, we won't be bothered again by him." Columbus said boldly.

"No, I guess not." Bogg replied.

"I have some work to finish, you two continue to enjoy the sun."

"We will, thanks Chris." Jeff replied.

Columbus turned and walked back to his quarters to complete his work. In the meantime, Bogg and Jeff sat back down on the deck and discussed the events, which had just transpired.

"Bogg, what made you give Drake back his omni?"

"Kid, I couldn't just stand by and let them kill him."

"Why not Bogg? He deserved it. Look at what he did here to corrupt history. What about all those innocent Voyagers he falsely accused and banished? If that wasn't enough, he tried to do the same to both of us." Jeff preached dispassionately.

"I understand how you feel Jeff. Believe me. I'm still angry with him also, but kid he's a fellow Voyager. We were always taught at Voyager Academy to help our fellow Voyagers, especially when they are in trouble. Jeff, after all the wrongs he's done, he's still a Voyager and obviously one who was in trouble at that time. Granted, he needs to be punished for his wrongs, but killing him would solve nothing."

"I don't understand Bogg, why did you change your mind?" Jeff asked curiously.

"I really didn't" Bogg replied with a smile.

"But, you said…" Jeff exclaimed as he was suddenly interrupted by his partner.

"Yes, kid. I'm sorry I misled you. But I had to make you believe that he deserved what he got. It was all a part of my plan."

"And what was that?" Jeff asked.

"I wanted to teach him a lesson. You remember back at the trial, he had both of us terrified that we would never see each other again. Well, I wanted him to feel that same pain he inflicted on us. The only way to do that was to make him believe we were going to stand by and let Columbus and his crew kill him. That's why I waited until he was almost on the edge before I tossed his omni to him."

"So you wanted him to squirm and chirp like a bird?" Jeff said in his gangster voice.

Bogg laughed, "You said it. And did he ever squirm and chirp."

"Do you think he will honor his word? You know, go back to VHQ and accept his punishment?"

"No. When he was on the plank, he was saying anything and everything to save his own skin." Bogg said pointedly. "So don't get too complacent, Drake's not done with us yet."

"Great!, Just great!, Jeff ranted. "We had the perfect opportunity to get rid of him and now all we've done is made him even madder at us."

"Kid, it's amazing how well you can figure these things out." Bogg said with a chuckle.


	15. The Day of Discovery

_**VOYAGERS! **_**- The Voyager Chronicles**

**DISCOVERIES - BOOK 1**

**(The First New Adventure)**

**By DA Daugherty (VoyagersFan)**

**October 2006 (Revised 05/2009)**

**Previous disclaimers apply**

**Chapter 15 - THE DAY OF DISCOVERY**

It had been some twelve long grueling weeks since Columbus and his crew had left the port of Palos. They had originally planned for a journey of this length, but now Columbus and his crew had become weary from being at sea for so long. They were tired, weak, and above all else their morale was dwindling. Columbus realized that if they didn't find the new world soon, he could have a major problem on his hands with the crew.

Bogg and Jeff were now in the Admiral's quarters, sitting around the table discussing the current state of affairs.

"Gentlemen, it's been twelve weeks now and still there's no sign of land." Columbus said impatiently. "By my calculations, we should have run ashore by now."

"Don't give up yet Chris. It will happen. You will find what you seek." Bogg reassured.

"I haven't given up, but the crew, that's another story. They are tired, weary, and ready to put their feet on land. I feel if we don't find some soon, I may have a mutiny on my hands."

"Is there anything we can do to help with the crew?" Jeff asked.

"No, my young friend. There's not much that can be done other than praying." Columbus replied.

Suddenly, Carlos could be heard yelling outside the Admiral's quarters. He came running through the door and almost knocked himself unconscious before he finally opened it.

"Admiral, Sir!" Carlos exclaimed as he attempted to catch his breath.

"Calm down, Carlos… and tell me what is happening."

"Come quickly. You need to see this." Carlos urged. Immediately he turned and ran back out onto the deck. At this point the whole crew was cheering.

Columbus, Bogg and Jeff rose from their seats and ran out onto the deck. Carlos pointed to the horizon and exclaimed. "Look there! I can see the tops of trees! It's land!"

Columbus began to peer off into the distance and then saw what Carlos was so excited about. "It's land… Gentlemen, It's land!!! We have finally made it!"

Columbus yelled up to Carlos, who by this time was back at the helm. "Carlos, signal the Nina and the Pinta and let them know of our discovery.

The crew by this time had begun to celebrate. Columbus walked up and stood next to his first mate to make an announcement to his crew.

Carlos yelled out to the crew. "Attention on deck!!" The crew immediately became quiet. "The Admiral has an announcement to make."

.

"Gentlemen, as you have by now realized, there is land in the distance." Columbus announced as he was suddenly interrupted by cheers from the crew. The crew quieted down and he continued.

"The sight of land has also been confirmed by the sight of birds flying overhead. However, we cannot begin to celebrate just yet. There are still a few more miles left for us to travel and much more work to be done before we go ashore. Congratulations to you all and thank you for all your hard work to this point."

The crew began to cheer and applaud their Admiral as he walked down from the helm. Afterward, they resumed their duties aboard ship. Columbus, Bogg and Jeff went back into the Admiral's quarters and sat down at the table.

"Gentlemen, I think this discovery calls for a celebration." Columbus stated with an overwhelming sense of accomplishment in his voice. "What would you two like to drink? I have rum, ale, and some wine."

"Just some water for the two of us, Chris." Bogg replied.

"Water it is…"

Columbus walked over to the cabinet, poured himself a glass of rum and his friends a glass of water. He brought the glasses over and set them on the table.

"Well, Chris, how does it feel to finally prove your theories?" Jeff asked.

"My young friend, words cannot describe how I feel at this time… I am just so happy. You know, this opens up many opportunities for both Spain and for me as well. I just can't wait to set foot on that land."

Bogg raised his glass and took a sip from it. "Just think, minutes ago, you were worried about the crew mutinying. It amazes me how in just a blink of an eye, things can change for the better."

"You are correct as always, Mr. Bogg. Things were looking rather bleak a little while ago. But now… It's the grandest day of my life."

----------------------

Later that day, the three ships closed in on their target and dropped anchor about a quarter mile from the shore. Columbus ordered the crew to get out the rowboats and prepare to go ashore.

Columbus, Bogg and Jeff set off in the first boat with Carlos and several other crewmen following closely behind them. Two other boats from the Nina and the Pinta were bringing up the rear.

After about 15 minutes of hard rowing, the three reached the beach. They got out of their boat and stood on dry land for the first time in weeks. Columbus was so excited that he knelt down and kissed the ground, in much the same way as the Pope does when he arrives in a new land.

"Gentlemen, look at all of this… We made it…By the grace of God, we have made it here." Columbus yelled as he began to wonder around, exploring the territory.

"Bogg?" Jeff prompted.

"Yea kid."

"Looks familiar, doesn't it?"

"Yea." Bogg acknowledged. "C'mon, lets walk over there and take a look around."

The two strolled over to the area where they had originally sat and waited for Columbus the first time.

"What gives here, Bogg?" Jeff asked in disbelief. "There is no sign of us ever being here…No footprints, nothing."

"Kid, what did I tell you about time. Remember, we went back in time prior to the time we arrived here and changed history. So when it comes right down to it, our first arrival here never really occurred."

"Oh, trying to understand this is giving me a headache."

"Don't try to understand it now kid. It will all will become clear in due time."

"And you just had to say that, didn't you Bogg?" Jeff quipped. "Like that is going to make my headache any better."

"Hey, what about the natives we encountered here the first time… Won't they be a threat to Chris and his crew?" Jeff asked.

"What do you think? Take a look over there…" Bogg said as he pointed to the opposite end of the beach. "Columbus has already made some new friends."

Jeff looked off in the distance and saw Columbus, Carlos and several other members of the crew standing and attempting to converse with a few of the local natives.

"Well Bogg, we did it." Jeff boasted. "We saved history yet again. Thanks to us, a whole new continent will be discovered."

"Yea, we did it and now it's time for us to go. There's lots of other places we need to visit and problems that need to be fixed. Ready kid?"

"I guess. It's sad to leave him here without saying goodbye." Jeff said sullenly.

"I know, but it's for the best."

Bogg opened the omni and set it. Jeff took hold of Bogg's arm.

"I'm ready, Bogg. I guess."

Bogg pushed the button and they were on the way to their next adventure.

---THE END ---


End file.
